CDC Calls for a Hold on Holiday Gatherings
The holiday season is among us, but this year will be different for celebrators throughout the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its guidelines for gatherings ahead of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Kwanza, Christmas, and New Year’s. The CDC has made recommendations about the type of activities for people, broken into low, medium, and high risk.
Families across the country have been trying to plan safe gatherings and come up with new ways to see their loved ones after eight months of quarantine. Instead of trick-or-treating, the CDC recommends having virtual costumes contests, or a scary movie night in with family members within your household. If you chose to participate in regular Halloween activities, it is highly suggested that you wear a mask with your costume.
Celebrating #Halloween? Help protect yourself and slow the spread of #COVID19. Choose outdoor options, such as orchards, forests, and mazes. #WearAMask, stay 6 feet apart, and wash your hands. Learn more: https://t.co/37PPKvcBVr. pic.twitter.com/59HEbS4hHp
— CDC (@CDCgov) October 20, 2020
For the holidays, the CDC is not recommending large gatherings and still insists on six feet distancing when in environments with high capacity. Guidelines from the organization explain how COVID-19 can be spread through holiday travel. Receiving a flu vaccine has also been suggested, as there have been many concerns about the similarities in symptoms.
The guidelines given by the CDC are meant to coincide with the regulations in place at state and local levels. Americans have been divided in their trust of the CDC, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. With ever-changing information flowing about the cause, symptoms, and treatment of COVID-19, many people have begun to question the reliability of the leaders telling how to slow the spread.
Yesterday I tweeted that I wasn’t ready to talk about this yet but… the holidays are coming. What are folks doing to deal with family and travel during a pandemic. Skipping? Doing it w tests & quarantining? If applicable, the parentals are about to put on the pressure.
— Lisa Lucas (@likaluca) October 14, 2020
People have turned to their elected officials for guidance on how to operate through daily life during this pandemic. When the President was diagnosed with COVID-19, the American people expected a change of tune from Trump. After months of playing down the seriousness of COVID-19, Trump continued to mock the disease even while having it. Just days ago, Trump caused further damage by casting doubt on Dr. Fauci’s guidance and referring to the scientific leaders that we are relying on for information as ‘idiots’.
Yesterday, @realDonaldTrump decided to attack Dr. Fauci once again, calling him a ‘disaster’ and public health experts ‘idiots.’ Meanwhile, he still has no plan to beat this virus.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 20, 2020
During the approaching season, do what you can to keep your family safe. Stay home if you can, practice social distancing, wash your hands, and please wear a mask. To learn more about COVID-19 about how to help slow the spread, look here. Despite the long and trying year that we have faced, we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
