CDC Recommends Following These Guidelines Over the Holidays

As the U.S. continues to experience an uptick in coronavirus cases, it's crucial to keep taking precautions in order to mitigate the spread of the virus and to keep those who are at high risk of severe health complications safe. This year, that may mean canceling family gatherings altogether.To inform families on how to best play it safe and smart this holiday season, The CDC released a set of guidelines to follow—especially if you're planning to travel, host, or attend any gatherings or parties with family and friends. The main piece of advice the CDC lends in its most recent set of guidelines is encouraging people to assess the levels of COVID-19 infection in their respective communities as well as the ones they're having people travel from, and even the ones they're planning on traveling to. If the infection rates are high in any or all of those areas, the agency highly recommends keeping the gatherings small. (Related: 8 Grocery Items That May Soon Be in Short Supply.)"Some people in this country are going to be able to have a relatively normal type of a Thanksgiving, but in other areas of the country, it's going to be, 'You better hold off and maybe just have immediate family, and make sure you do it in a way that people wear masks, and you don't have large crowds of people,'" Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with CNN.The CDC recommends that you host outdoor gatherings if possible, or if indoors is the only feasible route, the agency suggests avoiding crowded, poorly ventilated, and fully enclosed spaces. Additionally, the CDC emphasizes only inviting people from your local area. Other big takeaways include avoiding those who may have recently been exposed to the virus, are still awaiting test results, or are feeling ill.Finally, taking additional precautions such as wearing masks and using hand sanitizer throughout the duration of the gathering are also great ways to ensure family members and friends stay safe. Try to stand 6 feet apart from other people as much as you can and consider getting tested after attending any event—no matter how small. Bottom line: the more precautions you take, the safer you and your loved ones will be this holiday season."What we're starting to see now—and we can't run away from it—we're starting to see in the Midwest and the Northwest, an uptick in test positivity, which tends to be a predictor that you're going to have surges," Fauci said to CNN.For more, be sure to read 7 Best Chain Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving.