Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), who earlier this month contradicted health experts by telling people to go out to eat at their local restaurants and pubs, suggested on Tuesday night that concern over the coronavirus pandemic was overstated. Appearing on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, the California Republican said it was “way overkill” for California to cancel the school year, insisting that kids “could’ve went back in two weeks or four.”

Nunes went on to express “optimism” that an unproven anti-malarial drug could quickly provide treatment for the potentially deadly disease before calling for an immediate return to work for most Americans. “If we don’t start to get people back to work in this country over the next week to two weeks, I don’t believe we can wait until the end of April,” he declared.

Nunes’ insistence that the economy should be quickly restarted and kids sent back to school within weeks comes on the same day the White House projected that up to 240,000 Americans could die from COVID-19 in the coming months even if social distancing measures stay in place.