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Dr. Ghaly urges families to be cautious this Thanksgiving

Posted at 9:47 PM, Nov 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-24 00:47:48-05

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mark Ghaly spoke Monday and gave an update on the importance of being cautious this Thanksgiving.

Dr. Ghaly said that people between 18 to 49 pose the biggest risk to others this holiday season.

"We are the individuals who can spread COVID-19 to our older family members, our older friends, our older loved ones. And in that risk, we need to just be very careful. We know that our hospitals are seeing levels of surge that they have never seen before."

Dr. Ghaly says to keep celebrations virtual. He also added that dropping off a meal at a loved one's house was a good alternative to the traditional dinner.

If you do gather with others, keep masks on, and try to social distance. But as American families get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, a third of parents say gathering the family together for the holiday is worth the risk of getting COVID-19. This comes from a new national poll by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Nearly 1,500 parents with at least one child age 12 or younger were polled.

More than half said they felt it was "very important" that children were allowed to see extended family and share in family holiday traditions. They say their children feel isolated.

The CDC has urged Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving, and to celebrate only with members of their own households.