Fauci issues stern warning over New Year’s Eve parties
White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci has broken the bad news to Americans awaiting his guidance on New Year’s Eve parties, saying they should again forego large gatherings because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When you are talking about a New Year’s Eve party where you have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, and you do not know the status of their vaccination, I would recommend strongly: stay away from that this year,” Fauci said on Monday in a CNN interview. “There will be other years to do that, but not this year.”
The warning marked the latest call for caution from President Joe Biden’s administration amid the rapid spread of Covid-19’s Omicron variant. Less than one month after first being identified in South Africa, the new strain has become the dominant source of new Covid-19 infections in the US. Biden said earlier this month that, with Omicron’s emergence, “we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death” for unvaccinated Americans.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker also sounded the alarm on Monday over upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations. “Omicron and Delta are coming to your party,” he said. “You need to think twice about how many people will be gathered together and [whether you will be able to observe] social distancing. If you’re at a party and you can’t, leave.”
Fauci nonetheless gave his seal of approval for in-home gatherings with family members who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and have received booster shots.
The White House adviser also opined about former President Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of the Covid-19 booster shots, which has drawn conservative pushback.
Noting that he was “stunned” by Trump’s decision to promote the vaccination against Covid-19, as well as by the backlash the ex-president had received for this endeavor, Fauci accused Trump of having “poison[ed] the well early on” by not rallying behind the vaccination campaign from the get-go.
“Some of the people that have been following his every word and what he does are now pushing back and not listening, which really tells you the strength of the divisiveness in our society.”
