Dr. Fauci: avoid large gatherings for New Years celebrations
Locals chime in on end-of-year festivities and COVID restrictions - 13 On Your Side's Arlette Yousif reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Two years into the pandemic, and hospitalizations are up. As a result, Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci says we need to be careful about large crowds.
Dr. Fauci is urging everyone to forgo large gatherings for New Years celebrations, citing the high rate of spread of the omicron variant and a nationwide rise in hospitalizations.
What do locals plan to do for New Years as the delta and omicron variants are spreading through the country like wildfire?
One woman says she is all for avoiding large gatherings this year.
"I think it’s a good idea. Better safe than sorry. In fact, we’re on our way to go get our booster shot, and so we’ll just stay at home and watch bad TV and eat snacks, and that's how we’ll bring in the new year," says Yuma resident Tina Martineau.
Still, some members of our community will be out celebrating the new year.
"Well, I think it’s alright as long as they mind their P’s and Q’s, you know, wear their mask," explains Yuma resident Kay Trostle.
Martineau's son says that people should be able to do what they want and be involved.
Although unfortunately, the Iceberg Lettuce Drop is not happening in downtown Yuma for the second year in a row, there are many other events planned for the countdown to midnight.
Double D’s Sports Bar in Yuma will be open until 2 a.m. for New Years.
"As a bar owner, we put ourselves at risk, but you know, put your mask on if you want to come out and have fun. If you don’t feel comfortable with your mask, then still, you know, everyone’s welcome," says Double D's Sports Bar Owner Debra Davis.
While contracting COVID is possible in any setting, avoiding large gatherings may significantly reduce the risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
