March 15, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A new recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that for the next eight weeks, groups and individuals should “cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.”
The CDC news release issued Sunday night says “Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities.”
These events and gatherings would include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings “and other types of assemblies,” whether organized by a group or an individual.
“Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing,” according to the news release.
The CDC recommends that organizers modify events to be virtual if at all feasible.
The day-to-day operation of schools, institutes of higher learning, and businesses is not affected by this recommendation, as it is “made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus.”
This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials, the CDC said.
