Public Officials Campaign To Keep People Home For Thanksgiving

Excerpted from NPR by Kat Lonsdorf

Across the country, public officials are urging people to stay home and stay safe during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday amid a dramatic rise in new cases of COVID-19 in nearly every state.

Experts warn that the holiday week will be a crucial time for fighting the virus, and that even limited family gatherings could result in devastatingly high numbers of newly infected people. Hospitals are already reaching capacity around the country, as the country hit the grim milestone of 12 million confirmed cases.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommended people stay home for Thanksgiving. “Celebrating virtually or with the people you live with is the safest choice this Thanksgiving,” the CDC advised.

From Oregon to Illinois to Maryland, governors have instituted stricter statewide restrictions ahead of the holiday. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a curfew for most of the state that went into effect Saturday night, as cases in California have tripled over the past month. In Virginia, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said that the makeshift morgues he had seen set up in other states convinced him to take action.

“We have Thanksgiving coming up. We have the flu season coming up. If Virginians would do the right thing — and by the way, this is in your hands, Virginia — you know what to do. If we do the right things, we will keep the numbers down,” Northam told reporters, according to The Roanoke Times.
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