Fears of Thanksgiving Covid TIMEBOMB as CDC says don’t sing or drink ALCOHOL to stop spread of deadly disease
THE CDC urged Americans not to sing or drink alcohol this holiday season amid fears of a Covid-19 time-bomb over Thanksgiving.
While pandemic fatigue has set in and cases surge in the midwest, public health officials fear mass gathering could spell a contagion disaster for the United States.
The “second wave” of coronavirus has resulted in at least 100,000 daily cases in the USA, forcing state leaders to implement new rules to stop the spread.
But 50 million Americans will be driving or flying this Thanksgiving, per AAA data, with a slight downturn in this annual travel surge since last year.
But the Transportation Security Administration is set to to screen six million travelers despite officials to stay home, reported CBS.
While the CDC pleaded with people to limit family gatherings, Donald Trump‘s Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called governors’ increased virus restrictions as “Orwellian” this morning.
William Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard’s School of Public Health told Axios that “the incoming holidays have the potential to be a real, serious problem in terms of facilitating transmission.”
The CDC said: “Celebrating virtually or with members of your own household (who are consistently taking measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19) poses the lowest risk for spread.”
The agency emphasized that “people who do not currently live in your housing unit, such as college students who are returning home from school for the holidays, should be considered part of different households.”
Forty-nine person of students coming home for the holidays plan to socially distance but they don’t intend on quarantining at home, according to a recent poll.
Around 24 percent plan to take no safety measures at all, a Generation Lab poll revealed, while 59 percent of students plan on returning to campus after Thanksgiving.
Axios noted that summer celebrations like The Fourth of July and Labor Day resulted in this sort of travel and a coronavirus surge.
The publication also flagged that Canadian Thanksgiving on October 11 also resulted in Covid-19 cases surging.
Meredith Matson, a psychology professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College acknowledged that “as the novelty of this wears off, that fatigue starts to rise.”
She said: “There are people who are fortunate enough, who have not had this affect them directly in a way that has forced them to take notice.”
“If I want to have my family down for Thanksgiving, then I can go looking for peers and news sources and authorities who confirm what I want.”
New research suggests that four out of every 10 American boomers might not get to see their families for Thanksgiving or winter holidays like Christmas because of Covid.
The OnePoll survey of 2,000 Americans commissioned by Omaha Steaks also suggested that virtual hangouts are beginning to lose their appeal.
The CDC has repeatedly urged people to avoid mass gathering indoors, to wear a mask, and to wash their hands.
Americans have been advised to avoid cities or regions experiencing an uptick in cases and ventilation is vital if they will be indoors.
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In their guidance around “Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings,” the CDC does recommend not having large family gatherings amid fears of an infection time-bomb.
The agency stated: “Unfortunately, the COVID-19 epidemic is worsening, and small household gatherings are an important contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases
“In-person gatherings that bring together family members or friends from different households, including college students returning home, pose varying levels of risk.”