White House Plans Holiday Parties As Americans Urged To Stay Home Due To COVID Warning
The White House plans to hold indoor holiday receptions in the coming weeks despite ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks?and the advice of public health professionals urging Americans to forego their holiday gatherings to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.??
Americans have been strongly urged to stay home for the holidays and cancel in-person gatherings amid a fresh surge in?cases. But the White House said it's still planning to host holiday parties?-- and in the wake of a September Rose Garden event that became, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, "a super-spreader event."?
Health experts caution?
U.S public health officials have cautioned that large, indoor holiday gatherings during the winter months could lead to a dramatic uptick in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The coronavirus?already has killed more than a quarter million Americans.??
While the White House has said President Donald Trump and his wife Melania will remain in Washington this week, skipping their annual Thanksgiving at Trump¡¯s private club in Florida, the first lady plans to hold a holiday reception a few days later on Nov. 30, according to an invitation obtained by ABC News.??
Parties planned at White House
The White House gatherings are scheduled to begin later this month, soon after the Thanksgiving holiday may give rise to another dangerous COVID-19 surge. ABC News obtained an invitation to a holiday reception scheduled for Nov. 30.?The White House typically holds a series of holiday parties in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
The celebrations traditionally take place on the first floor called the State Floor, with guests allowed to wander freely through the decorated, ceremonial rooms.
Melania's spokeswoman and chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement Sunday that the White House parties will take place in "the safest environment possible" and noted a series of planned precautions, the gatherings contradict government warnings on events staged even partially indoors.??
"Smaller guest lists"
For Thanksgiving get-togethers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said?the "safest choice" is to celebrate "virtually or with the people you live with." If Americans do host a gathering, they should eat outside and limit the numbers of guests, according to the CDC.??
This year's events will take place at least partly indoors, on the State Floor, according to Grisham, who added that there are "smaller guest lists" and that "masks will be required and available," with social distancing measures encouraged and hand sanitizer stations posted throughout.
The first lady has already received the official White House Christmas tree on Monday, and the building already has been bedecked with wreaths.
