BOSTON (WHDH) - With Massachusetts now in the midst of a second COVID-19 surge, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday warned that celebrating Thanksgiving “like normal” this year could trigger a significant outbreak and a possible rollback of the state’s economic reopening plan.
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“The trends are obviously moving in the wrong direction and this second surge is dangerous for all of us,” Baker said during a news conference at the State House. “We’re urging everyone to make a difficult choice this Thanksgiving. If we treat this Thanksgiving just like we treat every other Thanksgiving, it’s quite likely that it will trigger a significant spread.”
Public health data indicates the majority of new virus cases in Massachusetts are coming from household spread, with daily case counts up eight times and hospitalizations up four times since Labor Day, Baker noted.
Health officials on Tuesday reported 2,263 new cases, 20 deaths, and a 3.5 percent daily positivity rate.
Baker issued a plea to everyone to limit their holiday gatherings to immediate family members only because science shows that the virus thrives in indoor places where people let down their guard.
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“This is exactly the type of activity that increases your risk of contracting COVID and your risk of giving it to somebody you care about,” Baker said of indoor gatherings. “We saw what happened in Canada following their Thanksgiving in October, when they had a big spike in cases almost two weeks to the day after their holiday.”
Updated guidance recently issued by the state allows for no more than 10 people per gathering. It also calls for people to return home by 10 p.m. Those found in violation could face fines.
Baker reminded residents that anyone leaving for Thanksgiving must produce a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Massachusetts. People traveling to Massachusetts from every state except for Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Hawaii are also subject to the rules.
“I know people are tired of hearing me talk about this stuff, but we are in the midst of a second surge,” Baker explained. “It’s critical that we take all the necessary steps that are not only designed, but proven to keep us healthy. This is particularly true for families that have grandparents and older relatives who are high risk and could fall critically ill from COVID-19.”
With Thanksgiving just days away, virus testing sites across the state have been bogged down with massive lines of people presumably looking to get tested before embarking on holiday travel.
“A lot of folks aren’t being much attention to my guidance with respect to the holidays,” Baker said. “I was struck by how many of the people on a lot of the news shows said that they were getting a test because they were traveling for the holiday or they want to get the test because they have somebody coming home for the holiday.”
Baker hammered home the point that people need to realize that a COVID test is not a bulletproof vest.
Any local college students who leave campus should get tested for COVID-19 prior to returning home for Thanksgiving, according to Baker. They’ll also be required to produce a negative test upon returning to school. Any student who tests positive prior to leaving campus must self-isolate in a designated area.
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“Hopefully it’ll help prevent thousands of students from traveling around the state and over state lines to potentially infect their family members and loved ones with this virus when they return home,” Baker said.
Baker stressed that the future of the economy, schools, and hospitals hinges on everyone abiding by the rules that the state has put in place.
“At this point, folks should be going to school, going to work, and going home,” Baker said. “If people abide by these very simple rules and concepts, and do it consistently, it can allow us to keep everything open…It can give us the kind of holiday season that I think everyone is hoping for.”
Baker also asked the public to “appreciate the havoc the virus can wreak” when it gets into the wrong places.
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