Dr. Fauci Gives Advice to Americans Gathering for Thanksgiving and Christmas

The coronavirus pandemic here in the United States is beginning to remind me of Gilligan’s Island, since that long-running sitcom was built on the premise of a three-hour tour gone wrong.

Our current predicament was born from what was supposed to be a two-week lockdown back in March, for which we are still suffering.

It has been difficult to even keep track of time through all of this.  We’ve scarified holidays, birthdays, engagements – all the milestones of a year that we normally use to calibrate the amount of time that has passed.

Now, with the holiday season approaching, there are concerns that even these celebrations will be affected.

With a number of regions across the country seeing a rise in coronavirus cases and a potential vaccine still months away, the pandemic is likely to impact Thanksgiving celebrations and plans this year. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said Thursday that people will have to make “their individual choice” when it comes to how to go about celebrating the holiday and seeing family.

“It’s a beautiful tradition of getting family together,” he told Yahoo News on Thursday during a live Q&A. “I think we need to realize things might be different this year, particularly if you want to have people who are going to be flying in from a place that has a lot of infection – you’re going to an airport that might be crowded, you’re on a plane, and then to come in — unless you absolutely know you’re not infected — there are many people who are not going to want to take that risk.”

Fauci said his own children, three daughters who live in different states, have decided against coming to see him this year.

“They’re adult women, I would love to see them – but they themselves are concerned about getting on a plane, being in an airport, coming in for a couple of days with their father, me, who is in an age group that is vulnerable, and they’ve made the decision that they are not going to do that.”

Dr. Fauci addressed the reason for the season as well.

Fauci said that “hopefully by Christmas” the situation will be different.

Given the way that this pandemic has progressed thus far, we’re going to need a little more than “hope”.