Months ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a set of guidelines to help celebrate Thanksgiving safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While the agency made it clear that this year’s holiday would likely be very different than any other celebrated in our lifetime, it still left some hope for those who were planning on celebrating but being extra cautious.
But now, the CDC has issued a shocking new warning that urges Americans to avoid traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, and to drastically cut back on their guest lists.
During a call with reporters on Nov. 17, Henry Walke, MD, the CDC’s COVID-19 Incident Manager, said that the agency was doubling down on its public health guidelines and advising that all Americans stay home this year.
“CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period,” he said, according to CNBC, adding that there is “no more important time than now for each and every American to redouble our efforts to watch our distance, wash our hands and, most importantly, wear a mask.”
Besides travel, the CDC also advised against hosting any large gatherings, limiting celebrations to only people who live in the same household as you. But the agency also clarified that this group doesn’t necessarily include those who are immediate family but are returning from college, military deployment, or other remote living arrangements, recommending that those groups should quarantine for two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
“People who have not been living in your household for the 14 days before you are celebrating should not be considered members of your household and so you should take those extra precautions, even wearing masks within your own home,” Erin Sauber-Schatz, MD, the CDC’s lead for Community Intervention and Critical Population Task Force, said during the press call.
