We're not past COVID-19 yet, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. But he sees no reason to stay home on Halloween—a holiday that encourages masking up. "Particularly if you're vaccinated, but you can get out there," President Biden's chief medical adviser said on CNN's State of the Union. The fact that trick-or-treaters do their soliciting outside, Fauci said, means it's a generally safe activity, Yahoo News reports. The event provides another chance to tout the importance of being vaccinated, he said. "You'll add an extra degree of protection to yourself and your children and your family and your community."
"But go out there and enjoy Halloween," the infectious disease expert added, "as well as the other holidays that will be coming up." Fauci's advice about the 2020 holidays wasn't popular. But now, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are in decline. Fauci said it's still too soon to "declare victory," per Politico, adding, "If you look at the history of the surges and the diminutions in cases over a period of time, they can bounce back."
Fauci also addressed:
- Vaccine mandates for air travel. He doesn't expect them to be implemented soon. "It's always discussable," Fauci said, per the Hill. "Right now, I don't see that immediately."
- Lifting pandemic restrictions. He wants them to stay in place until new cases fall to fewer than 10,000 per day. About 95,000 new infections per day are being reported now, per the Washington Post.
- A winter surge. It's still possible, despite the positive trends, if more people in the US don't get vaccinated, Fauci said, per the New York Times.
(More
Anthony Fauci stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
