We are in a new phase," said Dr. Deborah Birx. "What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread" in rural as well as urban areas.
"To everybody who lives in a rural area: You are not immune or protected from this virus," Birx said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Birx, the White House task force coordinator, said people living in multigenerational households in an area that is experiencing an outbreak should wear masks inside the home to protect the elderly or those with underlying conditions.
Birx said federal officials have been working on individual reports for each state examining community trends and hospital records. "Each of these responses have to be dramatically tailored," she said.
She said what she witnessed as she visited 14 states over the last three weeks gave her cause for concern.
"As I traveled around the country, I saw all of America moving," Birx said. "If you have chosen to go on vacation into a hot spot, you really need to come back and protect those with comorbidities and assume you're infected."
If people wear masks and avoid crowds, Giroir said, it gives the same outcome as a complete shutdown.