- With coronavirus cases on the rise yet again in the US, Dr. Fauci said people might want to ‘hold off’ on Thanksgiving celebrations this year.
- Doctors have previously cautioned that indoor gatherings are disproportionately responsible for coronavirus infections.
- There are unfortunately only 10 states where coronavirus cases are on the decline right now, and many experts believe things will only get worse as we head into flu season.
When the coronavirus began sweeping across the country earlier this year, many people assumed that the pandemic would be nothing more than a distant memory by the time fall rolled around. At the time, the messaging from health officials was simple and straightforward: just a few months of strict quarantine along with adherence to coronavirus safety guidelines would be enough to conquer the coronavirus.
Fast forward a few months and things have played out quite differently. Coronavirus infections in the U.S. have been rising steadily since August. Some states in particular — with Wisconsin being a prime example — are now seeing a record number of new coronavirus cases on a daily basis. And with the situation not poised to get better anytime soon, Dr. Anthony Fauci recently took to CNN and said that some states would be well advised to “hold off” on Thanksgiving celebrations this year.
The rationale behind Fauci’s somewhat discouraging statement rests on something we’ve known for quite some time: indoor gatherings are a prime place for the coronavirus to spread. Over the past few weeks, health experts have traced back several coronavirus outbreaks to indoor gatherings such as family birthday celebrations and dinner parties. The simple reality is that people at indoor gatherings are likely to be more lenient when it comes to following coronavirus safety measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing.
This, coupled with poor indoor ventilation, is a recipe for disaster.
As an illustrative point, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan back in July revealed that 67% of Maryland citizens who had a positive coronavirus diagnosis had recently attended a family gathering or house party.
So where does that leave us with respect to Thanksgiving?
Fauci adds:
I say that some people in this country are going to be a relatively normal type of a Thanksgiving but in other areas of the country, you better hold off and maybe just have immediate family,
Make sure you do it in a way that people wear masks and you don’t have large crowds of people. You know, I’d like to say that everything is gonna be great by Thanksgiving, but I’m not so sure it is.
That said, there are currently 23 states (via The New York Times) where the number of new coronavirus cases continues to skyrocket. If things don’t change for the better in the next few weeks, Thanksgiving celebrations in the following states should be scaled back dramatically.
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- Montana
- Utah
- Idaho
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- Iowa
- Arkansas
- Missouri
- Wyoming
- Tennessee
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Indiana
- North Carolina
- Illinois
- Nevada
Articulating his position even further, Fauci added the current uptick in positive cases across the 23 states above “tends to be a predictor” of upcoming surges.
