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| The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is strongly advising people to cancel Thanksgiving travel plans to avoid spreading or contracting the coronavirus this holiday. With

Thanksgiving just a week away, the CDC released updated guidance around holiday celebrations, urging people to limit gatherings and to wear face masks in order to prevent the spread of

COVID-19. More than 1 million new COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States in the past seven days, the CDC noted. The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to gather at home and

to restrict the guest list to your immediate household. “Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu,”

the guidance notes. Medical experts continue to advise people to stay home for the holiday. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said during a recent AARP

tele-town hall on the holidays and vaccines, that he and his wife would celebrate Thanksgiving on their own for the first time in 27 years. “It just isn’t worth taking that risk this time,”

he said. How to Stay Safe Over the Holidays During the same discussion, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he also is not

gathering with his family for Thanksgiving. He and his wife “made a decision that we’re going to have a quiet dinner with ourselves, put the Zoom on and chat with our children while we’re

eating dinner,” Fauci said. Traveling, hosting guests indoors, and sharing food, utensils and plates all pose significant risks, the CDC warns. “The major difference right now is that COVID

cases are increasing in many states,” says Keri Althoff, associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. “What’s changing is the

underlying risk for even small gatherings.” Those celebrating Thanksgiving should monitor the evolving situation, be flexible and have backup plans for the holiday, in case people feel sick 

or are uncomfortable getting together, Althoff says.