Appearing Monday on ABC News’ Good Morning America, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, responded to the growing number of protests against stay-at-home orders implemented due to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, warning that reopening states prematurely will “backfire.”

“Clearly this is something that this is hurting …. but unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen.” — NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci on protests against stay-at-home orders. pic.twitter.com/n7x3cunEAm — Good Morning America (@GMA) April 20, 2020

A partial transcript is as follows: