Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday said that the social mitigation strategies set by the White House coronavirus task force had worked to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“The mitigation that we put in with the first 15 days and then the 30-day mitigation program worked,” Fauci said. “So it got us to where we are today. It is a successful formula.”

Fauci noted that the deaths in New York were lessening, the last metric showing that the spread of the virus was slowing, allowing the economy to reopen.

Again, Fauci said that Americans were not finished with social distancing and that state and local governments would have to make smart decisions based on the reopening guidelines set by the task force.

He cautioned that different parts of the country would move at different speeds.

Fauci said he understood the urge for Americans and local leaders to reopen for business but pleaded with them to follow the guidelines.

“Although I know one has the need to leapfrog over things, don’t do that, do it in a measured way, this is a successful formula,” he said.