‘Don’t buy into the feardemic’: Americans split over CDC recommending not to travel for Thanksgiving because of Covid-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended against traveling to see family for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, inspiring both protests and dire warnings.

“CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period,” Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s incident manager, said during a Thursday press briefing. 

Walke said those who opt to travel should do so “as safely as possible,” but he warned there are concerns about “transportation hubs” leading to a spike in Covid-19 cases, as well as deaths.

“One of our concerns is that as people over the holiday season get together, they may actually be bringing infections with them to that small gathering and not even know it,” he said.

“What’s at stake,” he warned, “is basically [the] increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then hospitalized and dying.” 

Walke added that 30 to 40 percent of the spread is driven by people who are asymptomatic.

This “strong recommendation,” however, is not a requirement, so the CDC has published guidance for those that will travel anyway, which includes wearing a mask at all times except when eating or drinking, hosting a limited event outdoors but still remaining six feet apart, and having only one person serving food. 

The CDC’s warning follows multiple cities and states enacting new restrictions to combat the potential of increased cases of the virus during the holiday season, when travel typically spikes. 

Chicago has put forth a stay-at-home order and recommended canceling traditional Thanksgiving celebrations, and states like New York and California have put limits on the number of people who can be present in one household. 

The CDC’s briefing has split reactions, with some people warning their peers to cancel holiday plans and take the advice seriously, and others accusing public officials of hypocrisy, pointing at health experts being more tolerant of mass protests, which have raged in major cities in the US for months now.

“We've postponed SO MANY THINGS this year, can we please postpone family gatherings for THANKSGIVING?” author and journalist Dan Rather tweeted. 

“Good thing the CDC lost all credibility a long time ago. Nobody with a brain trusts their BS anymore - sad it came down to this,” Blaze reporter Elijah Schaffer countered. 

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