In many states around the world, new cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, interfering with the expectations of millions of Americans trying to regain a sense of normality with the upcoming holiday season.
During a Sunday exchange with Dr. Anthony Fauci with CNN 'State of the Union' anchor Jake Tapper, Tapper indicated that Christmas is "probably not gonna be possible" this year because medical professionals fear that COVID-19 surges are triggered by widespread indoor holiday social gatherings.
On Sunday, Dr. Fauci, who works as a Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, informed Jake Tapper of CNN that even with all the extensive dissemination of a vaccine, the public should still not stop the vital public health regulations, particularly the mask-wearing as well as social distancing.
READ: As Restrictions Increase, the US Hit 11 Million COVID-19 Cases
Fauci stated that: "You can approach a degree of normality while still doing some fundamental health things that synergize with the vaccine to get us back to normal."
Tapper mentioned that "Christmas is probably not gonna be possible," relying on Dr. Fauci's guidelines, that are supposed to stretch through the second or third quarter of 2021.
The United States announced as many as 1 million latest COVID-19 infections this past week alone, with 156,416 on Saturday, that became the 11th day in a row that the nation recorded more than 100,000 daily reports.
On Sunday, when the third wave of outbreak started to spread wildly, new measures were enforced. Although Americans contemplated how they should celebrate Thanksgiving, there have already been more than 11 million cases of Covid-19 in the United States.
"I would recommend to people not to abandon all public health measures just because you've been vaccinated," Fauci stated. "Because even though for the general population it might be 90 to 95 percent effective, you don't necessarily know for you how effective it is," he added.
"I can feel more relaxed in essentially not having the stringency that we have right now, but I think abandoning it completely would not be a good idea."
Fauci explained that: "Each individual family needs to make the decision based upon the risk situation in your own family."
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Fauci's remarks came about as a result of the publication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of an amendment to its COVID-19 Thanksgiving regulations. All in all, the organization stated, "staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others," but to be mindful of the risks associated when you travel.
The organization notes that a low-risk approach to commemorate this year will be to have a small dinner with nothing but the people who reside in your home and to prepare meals for high-risk friends and family that can be shipped. They also recommend watching sports or processions from home, not in person, and having an virtual dinner.
Similarly, last month, Canada observed Thanksgiving and soon had seen the repercussions when its COVID-19 cases hit record highs. Now, Canadian authorities are saying that their Christmas could also be in jeopardy.
Canada hosted its Thanksgiving festivities on October 12. When family and friends assembled, there had been a significant rise in COVID-19 incidents, hospital admissions, and fatalities. Now, public health authorities have cautioned that the medical system would not be able to cope with another spike in cases.
