Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
Staying Safe From COVID This Thanksgiving
Families will once again gather for Thanksgiving, but precautions against COVID should still be in place.
(
Brian Chase via Shutterstock
)
Millions of Americans are planning to travel this week and gather indoors for Thanksgiving — many in groups of 10 or more.
At the same time, COVID-19 cases are rebounding. So how do you stay safe?
“Unlike last year, we don't have to all stay at home for Thanksgiving,” says Andrew Noymer, a professor of epidemiology at UC Irvine. “There are some precautions that we can and should take — you should vaccinate, you should boost. But, you know, I'm not here to say that Thanksgiving is canceled.”
Noymer cautions that you need to wait at least four days after an exposure to test for the virus.
“It's just important to keep in mind the incubation period,” he says. That means traveling through crowded airports and then immediately testing won’t provide an accurate result.
“A negative test is not a watertight guarantee that there's no COVID going on,” he says. “It just means that at the time of the testing, there's no SARS-CoV-2 present.”
Noymer says it’s hard to differentiate between COVID and other respiratory viruses such as the flu, so get tested if you have symptoms — especially before you head to grandma’s house.
Sponsored message
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
