Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Don't Travel, Limit Thanksgiving Gatherings, CDC Cautions Americans
Politico: CDC Urges Against Thanksgiving Travel
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday advised Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and to limit gatherings to people within the same household as coronavirus cases continue to surge. The agency's guidance is at odds with recent messaging from the White House, including fierce criticism of state-level mitigation efforts from President Donald Trump's press secretary. But it lines up with a growing number of new state Covid-19 restrictions that are being imposed in response to record numbers of new cases and more than 250,000 U.S. deaths. (Ehley, 11/19)
NPR: CDC Pleads With Americans To Avoid Thanksgiving Travel
The better bet, the CDC advised, was for people instead to spend Thanksgiving with the folks with whom they have been living for the two weeks leading up to the holiday. "If people have not been actively living with you for the 14 days before you're celebrating, they're not considered a member of your household," Erin Sauber-Schatz of the CDC said at a news briefing Thursday. "And therefore you need to take those extra precautions, even wearing masks within your own home." (Dwyer, 11/20)
NPR: Don't Travel For Thanksgiving, CDC Warns
The C.D.C.’s warning runs counter to messages from administration officials, who have denounced concerns that Thanksgiving celebrations will speed the virus’s spread. ... Members of the White House coronavirus task force did not even mention Thanksgiving at a news conference on Thursday, even as they warned of the hazards associated with indoor gatherings and urged “vigilance” in the face of rampant infections. (Rabin, 11/19)
The Hill: Medical Groups Urge Americans To Scale Back Holiday Plans Amid COVID-19 Surge
Leading medical societies on Thursday urged Americans to scale back Thanksgiving gatherings because spiking coronavirus cases are overwhelming hospitals across the country. "In the strongest possible terms, we urge you to celebrate responsibly," the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Nurses Association said in an open letter to the public. (Weixel, 11/19)
In related news —
Detroit Free Press: Detroit Cancels Plans For Live Thanksgiving Day Parade
Detroit's top public health official has scuttled plans for a live performance in downtown next week for the city's annual Thanksgiving Day parade. Denise Fair, chief public health officer for the Detroit Health Department, determined that organizers' plans to have roughly 800 participants and 22 floats in downtown for a live parade would violate Michigan's recent public health restrictions on outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people, according to a city spokesman. (Reindl, 11/19)
AP: Oklahoma Governor's Holiday Plans Flout CDC, Virus Surge
Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday he planned to attend a college football game over the weekend and spend Thanksgiving with his parents, even as coronavirus cases in the state continued to surge this week and the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for the holidays. During a press conference with state health officials, Stitt said he planned to watch the annual Bedlam matchup between the University of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State University in Norman in person Saturday and spend time with family members he doesn’t live with next week. (Murphy, 11/20)
The New York Times: How Do I Make Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping Safer?
So you’ve canceled your Thanksgiving travel plans, quarantined the college student and created a scaled-back, family-only holiday menu. Good job. Now you just need to tackle the food shopping. The crush of grocery store shoppers on the days leading up to Thanksgiving can be maddening in the best of times, but it’s especially stressful this year. The coronavirus is raging around the country, and many communities are imposing new restrictions and closings. (Parker-Pope, 11/19)
