With the holidays approaching, Illinois' top doctor has advised residents to stay home and avoid gatherings to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
At the state's daily coronavirus news briefing Friday, Illinois Department of Public Health Director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, acknowledged that despite her pleas, some people are going to travel anyway.
"For those of you who will not heed this recommendation or people who have family or friends traveling to see you, I do recommend testing before or after your visits or your travel," she said.
Similar to Dr. Ezike's recommendation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says celebrating virtually or members with your own household poses the lowest risk for spread.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infections disease expert, revealed his holiday plans have "dramatically changed" due to the pandemic, CNBC reported.
“For the first time in more than 30 years, I’m not spending the Christmas holidays with my daughters,” Fauci said during CBS News’ the Milken Institute’s Future of Health Summit Monday.
It’s clear that “even modest size gatherings of family and friends in a home” are contributing to spread, Fauci said. “We’re starting to see infections that are emerging from what otherwise seemed like benign settings, namely a typical gathering of 10 or so people in a social setting."
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Ezike on Friday warned residents that having a COVID-19 test doesn't ensure that you aren't transmitting the virus, adding that someone who tests negative one day could be exposed the next day, and then spread the virus after that.
"I just want everyone to be clear and not have a false sense of security that a negative test means that everything is A-Okay, and there is no way that infection can continue to happen," the doctor said.
On Friday, Illinois reported 9,420 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 190 additional deaths.
