Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said on Friday morning that Americans shouldn’t expect their self-quarantines amid the COVID-19 outbreak to end anytime soon.

“If you look at the trajectory of the curves of outbreaks in other areas, it’s at least going to be several weeks,” Fauci told NBC “Today Show” host Savannah Guthrie.

“I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now, it’s going to be over,” he continued. “I don’t think there’s a chance of that. I think it’s going to be several weeks.”

Largely populated areas such as New York City have already shut down bars, restaurants and other establishments that hold large numbers of people during the rapid spread of the coronavirus. On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order requiring state residents to stay home unless they need to procure food and medical necessities.

Watch Fauci below: