The CDC advised Americans not to travel and limit gatherings this year for Thanksgiving. But as millions of Americans take to the skies for the holiday, how many are listening and what is happening at the state level?
Summary
As new cases of coronavirus surge nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an urgent warning advising Americans not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
- While CDC officials stressed it is not a mandate, they said “It’s a recommendation for the American public to consider” in the wake of “exponential growth in cases.”
- Nearly half of all states have some form of restriction or recommendation on travel and congregating. NBC News calls it a “patchwork of restrictions between regions” that shows how states are reacting to the surges differently.
- Despite the CDC advisory, travel experts are predicting millions of Americans to hit the roads or fly this Thanksgiving.
- USA Today provided anecdotes of the social tolls travel restrictions will take on Americans, including young professionals and those who rely on group therapy.
- Per Politico, there are conflicting messages between health experts and some White House officials on the various restrictions being imposed.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer provided some historical context to the current situation, comparing the current outbreak to the 1918 Spanish flu, which hit the city particularly hard after a war bond parade before Thanksgiving 1918.
- The New York Times and CNN separately offered a stark warning to Americans, saying it’s not responsible to “rely on a negative test” to see family or travel for the holiday.
- The Washington Post provided a dire prediction of overwhelmed hospital systems as a result of the still large number of Americans traveling and gathering for Thanksgiving.
- The Thanksgiving weekend is already being called “the next superspreading event” for coronavirus by Vox.
- Fox News highlighted the pushback many state orders have gotten from conservatives online.
- Dana Loesch chastised politicians for not following their own mandates and providing a list of social side effects the pandemic has had on Americans.
- Breitbart reported on an interview of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, focusing on her answer that the restrictions on private in-home gatherings are largely unenforceable.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2020
