The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged Americans not to travel during Thanksgiving. COVID-19 cases are starting to increase and rise across the country.
What We Know:
- According to the CDC, ”travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.” On Wednesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urged Americans to dine only with their immediate household. He also advised people that “gathering indoors with people who aren’t members of your household is a high-risk activity for spreading the virus.”
- Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, says, “it’s important to avoid transmission through transit and transportation hubs.” He also emphasized the risk of gathering with loved ones that may live in close proximity. “The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is at home with the people in your household,” said Erin Sauber-Schatz, who leads the CDC’s Community Intervention and Critical Population Task Force, at a briefing with reporters.
- It’s been recommended that Americans should limit their travel. The CDC advises that anyone who has not lived in the household during the two weeks ahead of the holiday stay in a separate area of the house with a designated bathroom. This would include college students and military personnel who are returning for the holidays.
- For people who are still deciding to travel during the holidays, the CDC recommends checking travel restrictions before you leave, getting a flu shot, wearing a mask in public settings, social distancing, and washing or sanitizing your hands often.
In just one week, health officials have confirmed 1 million new coronavirus cases in the U.S. Over 250,000 people (about half the population of Wyoming) have died from the virus in the U.S., with more than 11 million contracting the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
