After once calling the lockdowns 'inconvenient,' Fauci now says they may cause 'irreparable damage'

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday admitted frankly that the rolling state lockdowns which he has advocated for multiple weeks could cause "irreparable damage" to the United States, a sharp distinction from his earlier claim that the shutdowns were merely "inconvenient." 

The White House adviser made the statement during an interview on CNBC on Friday morning. "We can't stay locked down for such a considerable period of time that you might do irreparable damage and have unintended consequences, including consequences for health," he said. 

"I don’t want people to think that any of us feel that staying locked down for a prolonged period of time is the way to go," he added. 

The tone of Fauci's warning was a sharp departure from his remarks in late March when the doctor appeared to characterize the shutdowns in a strikingly understated way. 

"This is tough. People are suffering. People are dying. It's inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint to go through this, but this is going to be the answer to our problems," Fauci said at a White House press conference on Mar. 31.