The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has been following the footsteps of President Joe Biden’s medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci following his suggestion that it’s “too soon to tell” whether Americans can expect to celebrate the holidays. The CDC released guidance that recommended a “virtual” Thanksgiving for American citizens the second year in a row before quickly reversing back on the guidance and excusing it as a “mishap.”
The CDC removed their guidance on Tuesday mirroring the same recommendations they gave last year. They called on people to celebrate Thanksgiving “virtually” this year, despite vaccinations and natural immunity studied.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed their 2021 holiday guidance Tuesday and said the update was a mishap. The agency said its recommendations for virtual gatherings that mirrored 2020 guidance does not reflect this year’s, and new suggestions are coming soon,” the CDC notes in an update.
The updated guidance now states that event and holiday gatherings will increase the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19, especially with the threat of the Delta variant.
The guidance recommends “safer ways” to celebrate the holidays, such as hosting a video chat party, having an outdoor celebration with social distancing, and waving to neighbors from a distance. They recommend all gatherings to take place outside, adding that masks are not needed unless the gathering seems “crowded” or there is a high risk of COVID-19 present.
The CDC also states that anyone celebrating indoors should wear a mask if they are not fully vaccinated and that they should have conversations “ahead of time” regarding celebratory expectations. They said they do not recommend travel and even suggested that people open windows and doors in their house, as well as installing a window fan to bring in fresh air.
The guidance was met with backlash by those who have witnessed the extravagant Hollywood galas and packed football stadiums. One commentator wrote that they are vaccinated and take COVID-19 seriously but find the CDC recommending virtual Thanksgiving to be “hilarious” when everyone in the country is packed into a stadium.
Social media users also went after Dr. Fauci for saying it is “too soon to tell” whether or not people can gather for the holidays. He later backed down from his recommendations, adding that they were “misinterpreted” as him saying that people can’t spend Christmas with their families. He said he will be spending Christmas with his family and encourages people, “particularly the vaccinated people,” to have a good, normal Christmas with their families.
Others pushed back against his statements on unvaccinated family members, adding that they will give thanks for their “unmasked family, natural immunity, and ability to think for myself.” But hey, some people just want permission from the federal government to live their life and celebrate Christmas with their families. That’s what life is like as a Democrat.
