SAN ANTONIO – The nation’s top infectious disease doctor told Texas actor Matthew McConaughey that sunlight kills COVID-19, among other scientific answers.
The Academy Award-winning actor asked Dr. Anthonu Fauci, who is a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, a series of questions in a 40-minute video that was published on Instagram late Thursday.
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McConaughey said the Q&A session was “not a political conversation for me,” and he wanted to deliver a “more-defined road map” for the nation as it continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
“OK, true-false: Sunlight kills the virus?” McConaughey asked.
“It does. That’s the truth,” Fauci said. “That’s one of the reasons why outside, in the sun, when you are interacting, that is much, much better than being inside.”
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Fauci re-iterated that statement during a separate online discussion on Thursday.
In that discussion with Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, Fauci said school districts should find ways to offer outdoor activities as much as possible.
That includes classes, recess and lunchtime, and windows on school buses should remain open as often as possible, Fauci said.
In its guidelines, the Texas Education Agency has also stated it is preferable for students to gather outside, when appropriate, “because of likely reduced risk of virus spread outdoors.”
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“Outside is always better than inside,” Fauci told McConaughey.
Fauci also told the actor that learning about the virus remains a work-in-progress.
He added that younger people should be cautious about infecting the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.
“You want to open the bars or you want to open the schools?,” he asked.
A surface is not “a major modality of transmission” for the virus, he said, and recovery doesn’t put people in the clear because they could have long-lasting effects.
When asked if he has millions of dollars invested in a vaccine, Fauci laughed and said no, he’s on a government salary.
See the full interview below: