With the holiday season right around the corner and the year coming to an end, many people want to continue their yearly traditions and celebrate all the good in the world. After a rough year you would hope to visit family or maybe go on a nice vacation. I’m here to tell you, you should cancel your plans.

 

COVID-19 has been in the United States for almost a year now and everyone is tired of it. People are trying to pretend things are back to normal by doing activities that were practiced before this deadly pandemic, and forgetting or disregarding safety precautions that have been placed. Staying home does not sound ideal as people want a change in scenery and do more than sit at their computers all day, but right now we should try to bring down the positive rates of COVID-19. ICU’s are reaching their capacities all over the nation and extremely fast, especially in California.

 

The rise in cases is continuing as we are now in the third wave of the pandemic. All of California is seen as widespread as more and more counties flood into the purple tier. The purple tier shows which countries are most at risk for COVID-19 and where it is most widespread. The deadly disease is claiming thousands of lives as people are gathering with others indoors, not wearing their masks, and continuing to go outside for unnecessary things. During these winter months there is bound to be a surge in cases regardless of what we do, but you should think of others and consider staying home and doing your part to stop the spread.

 

It may be difficult to stay at home and not meet with beloved family and friends, and even though zoom calls aren’t the same as physical interactions, it's better to miss one celebration rather than having to quarantine for years more if the virus gets out of hand. Stay safe during the holidays!