U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams issued Americans a stark warning on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during an appearance Monday on NBC’s “Today.”

Adams, in what he called a “somber occasion,” warned that it is “going to get bad” this week. He also called on people to “stay at home” to help combat the spread.

“I want America to understand, this week it’s going to get bad, and we really need to come together as a nation,” Adams told host Savannah Guthrie. “I heard the stories that you were just playing: young people out on beaches. We see here in D.C. that the district set up a cam for people to watch the cherry blossoms. You look on the cam. You see more people walking around than you see cherry blossoms.”

“And this is how the spread is occurring. And so we really, really need everyone to stay at home,” he added.

Guthrie asked Adams if he thinks people are not taking the virus seriously enough.

“I think that there are a lot of people who are doing the right things, but I think that, unfortunately, we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them,” Adams emphasized.

The U.S. Surgeon General later stressed, “We don’t want Dallas or New Orleans or Chicago to turn into the next New York, and it means everyone needs to be taking the right steps right now, and that means stay at home.”

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