Some States Get Serious About Thanksgiving Travelers
Several states and cities are cracking down on the movement of Thanksgiving travelers as a survey shows a lot of people are disregarding warnings about COVID transmission during the holiday.
The Hill:
New York City To Add COVID-19 Checkpoints At Bridges, Crossings
New York City will add COVID-19 checkpoints at certain bridges and crossings to enforce quarantine restrictions ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Sheriff Joseph Fucito said Tuesday that among the actions authorities will take is conducting spot checks on passengers stepping off out-of-state buses. (Deese, 11/24)
CNN:
El Paso Issues A Curfew Ahead Of Thanksgiving As It Continues To Fight A Surge Of Covid-19 Cases And Deaths
El Paso County, Texas, has ordered a new curfew starting Thanksgiving eve as it continues to grapple with rising Covid-19 cases and so many deaths that 10 additional morgue units have been brought in to accommodate the surge. The situation is so dire that 1,500 additional medical professionals and the National Guard have been deployed to help. Even inmates have been enlisted to assist in morgue operations as the death toll grows. (Razek and Silverman, 11/25)
The Washington Post:
Blunt Coronavirus Thanksgiving Warning From Salt Lake County Health Department
A dozen people are gathered around a Thanksgiving table. A turkey has been carved, wine glasses held up to toast the holiday. A group is preparing to take a selfie. “Everybody say, ‘I was just exposed to COVID!'" reads a text bubble. This is the hypothetical scene portrayed in a Monday evening Facebook and Twitter post by the Salt Lake County Health Department, which urges people to avoid gatherings to help curb the surge in coronavirus cases. It’s the latest in a series of posts from the department in Utah that officials hope will provide a reality check about the risks associated with gathering for the holiday as the pandemic rages. (Firozi, 11/24)
The Washington Post:
Pandemic Thanksgiving Plans For D.C. Area Residents Upended With Surge In Coronavirus Cases
Just two weeks ago, Dena Nihart finalized plans to meet dozens of relatives for Thanksgiving dinner beneath a tent in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They agreed to quarantine for 14 days before the holiday and rent 10 tables so they could separate by household during the big meal. But then, last Monday, Nihart’s body began to ache. By Wednesday, she could barely hold up her head. And by Friday, as Nihart waited for her coronavirus test results with cases surging around her, her family had canceled Thanksgiving altogether. (Davies, 11/24)
Houston Chronicle:
Fewer Texans Traveling This Pandemic Thanksgiving, Despite Low Gas Prices
Millions of Americans will stay close to home this Thanksgiving weekend as coronavirus cases spike nationally and public officials plead with people not to travel. The American Automobile Association predicts that 50.6 million people in the U.S. will travel from Wednesday to Monday, almost 10 percent fewer than during the same days in 2019. In Texas, AAA predicts that 3.9 million people will travel from Wednesday to Sunday, almost 5 percent fewer than in 2019. (Takahashi, 11/24)
The New York Times:
Where Are Americans Staying Home For Thanksgiving?
Public health officials have been pleading with Americans to stay home this year for Thanksgiving. And, despite busy airports this past weekend, most people plan to follow their advice, according to a huge survey asking Americans about their holiday plans. (Katz, Quealy and Sanger-Katz, 11/24)
Also —
Politico:
How 9 Governors Are Handling The Next Coronavirus Wave
President Donald Trump hasn’t been leading on the coronavirus and governors are again in charge of the nation’s response. They’re reacting with a patchwork policy that’s unlikely to head off the long-warned “dark winter” in America. Governors are balancing rising case numbers and pressure to keep schools, restaurants and bars at least partially open. They’re employing loosely defined “curfews” on all but essential workers, admonishments over holding Thanksgiving dinners and reductions in capacity limits on indoor spaces — and a growing number of Republicans are mandating masks. (Roubein and Kapos, 11/25)
