The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising against close, indoor gatherings with non-household members ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, in an effort to prevent further coronavirus spread.
“Attending gatherings to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,” the health agency says. “The safest way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year is to gather virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others.”
Americans should postpone travel and consider staying home to reduce infection risk, the CDC advises.
Public health experts continue to urge mask use, physical distancing, hand hygiene and prompt vaccination as doses become available. Officials have doubled down on these calls as more transmissible variants continue to emerge and circulate.