'Hunker down': U.S. scrambles to stem virus spread through extreme measures

The nation's top infectious diseases expert urged Americans on Sunday to hunker down as the U.S. scrambles to avoid an explosion of coronavirus casesthat could kill hundreds of thousands, or even a million, people here.

"I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press."

He issued his warnings as the nation pivoted sharply toward taking extreme measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus, with public-health officials cautioning that things would get worse before they got better. Later Sunday, three states - Illinois, Ohio and California - announced closures of bars and restaurants, New York state forced the closureofschools in New York City, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance Sunday night recommending the cancellation or postponement of events with 50 or more people throughout the U.S. for the next eight weeks.