Travel is Restricted this Holiday Season

by Madhav Raj

This holiday season, the snow will not be our only problem when planning to visit relatives. This year, Americans will have to be extra careful due to the recent spike in COVID-19 outbreaks.

There are many worries regarding travel because the CDC cannot tell Americans that they are obliged by the law to stay home. It is up to Americans themselves to decide whether or not they want to travel. However, it is recommended by the CDC that you stay home with your family this holiday season. As we move into the holiday season, the cases that were predicted to come due to the Thanksgiving holiday are starting to emerge. On December 11, the United States reported 280,514 COVID-19 cases setting an all-time high for COVID-19 cases in a single day.

The good news is that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved as well. To return to normal, Dr. Anthony Fauci said 75% to 85% of the United States population needs to be inoculated. This may take some time however because the FDA decided that vaccines should be allocated to healthcare professionals and those working on the frontlines first as they need the immunity to fight COVID-19 while treating patients who have COVID-19. With COVID-19 spikes all over the country, the vaccine could not arrive any sooner.

This holiday, Americans will be in a big quandary as to whether or not they should travel. However, according to the CDC and many other top government officials, everyone should make a sacrifice this season and stay home. If you are planning to travel though, the CDC recommends that you go into quarantine for 14 days before making the trip and if you’re leaving your state, you may need to get a negative test for COVID-19 before leaving. Whether you travel or not this holiday season, let’s hope that this year won’t lose any joy. Have a safe and happy holidays!