New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Monday called on New Yorkers to avoid traveling for the holidays, suggesting they risk bringing back the Wuhan coronavirus to the city and infecting other residents.
“I have to urge all New Yorkers: do not travel out of state for the holidays,” De Blasio said during a press briefing at City Hall. “Do not travel to a state with a high infection rate. Do not travel to a country with a high infection rate.”
“For those who do travel, recognize how important it is to get tested and recognize there is a very strict quarantine in New York State and if you go elsewhere you will have to observe a two-week quarantine coming back,” the Democrat mayor added. “There are a few states that is not true for -but only a few states- the vast majority of American states now are on the New York state quarantine list.”
De Blasio is the latest high-profile official to suggest Americans change their holiday plans in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus.
On Monday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned 12 states that “things aren’t looking up for Thanksgiving dinner” due to the number of rising virus cases.
In a tweet, Dr. Adams suggested three precautions to take to against the virus — mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social distancing — to boost the likelihood of celebrating what he called “safe” Thanksgiving holiday. He directed the note to residents of Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Dr. Adams’ remark follows Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, suggesting that Americans may have to call off their Thanksgiving plans due to the virus.
“I think people should be very careful and prudent about social gatherings, particularly when members of the family might be at a risk because of their age or underlying condition,” Dr. Fauci told CBS News when asked what Americans should do to celebrate Thanksgiving.
“You may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering, unless you’re pretty certain that the people that you’re dealing with are not infected,” Fauci added. “Either they’ve been very recently tested, or they’re living a lifestyle in which they don’t have any interaction with anybody except you and your family.”