You should skip New Year’s Eve parties this year because of the omicron wave, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Fauci told CNN Monday morning that there will be a surge of omicron variant cases for a while. A large surge of cases is expected to continue into the near year.

  • Fauci said small gatherings of fully vaccinated people are safe for now. But big parties? No way.
  • “When you are talking about a New Year’s Eve party where you have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, you do not know the status of the vaccination, I would recommend strongly: Stay away from that this year,” Fauci said.
  • “There will be other years to do that. But not this year.”
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The omicron variant has been spreading rapidly throughout the United States. In fact, there have been so many cases that airline crews have had to call out sick, leading to hundreds of canceled holiday flights, according to CNBC.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends taking extra precautions during the holidays, especially if you’re gathering with multiple households.

  • Per the CDC, people should avoid indoor spaces before meeting with them. It might also help to snag a COVID-19 test to see if you’re positive or not for the virus.
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