Dr. Antony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged Americans to shut down more aggressively as the coronavirus spreads.

On MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” Mr. Fauci endorsed a 14-day “national shutdown” to help slow down the virus. He explained that he has brought it up with the administration, which is generally open to his ideas.

“I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,” he said.

On ABC’s “This Week” the doctor explained that lockdowns helped China and South Korea fight the rapid spread of the disease in their countries. China, he said, has reached its peak and is starting to see number of cases drop, whereas South Korea has flatlined.

However, he warned that while its hard to predict exactly how long the virus will be a threat, the U.S. should prepare for this to last for several weeks or a few months.

“What we should be doing is absolutely much much different. Not business as usual. Just chill down,” he said on ABC.

Across the nation, public schools and events are being shut down as states and local officials try to contain the virus.

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