“It’s important for the transition team to be able to meet with the government officials who are handling the pandemic response as COVID-19 is spiking across our country,” a senior transition official told Yahoo News. “With every day that passes, it is even more vital that the team has all of the information necessary to prepare to govern.”…

The official who spoke to Yahoo News about the stalled transition pointed out that “the 9/11 Commission Report found that the delayed 2000 transition significantly hampered the incoming administration’s ability to fill key appointments, including national security personnel, and left the country less prepared for a crisis.”…

The dangers of a delay are obvious to public health experts. Speaking at a New York Times event on Tuesday, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, a highly trusted member of the president’s coronavirus task force, urged for the transition to pick up the pace, citing his own work in the federal government since the early days of the AIDS/HIV epidemic.

“I’ve been through five transitions,” Fauci said. “I can say that transitions are extremely important to the smooth continuity of whatever you’re doing.”