US Some governors ignore CDC advice on Thanksgiving gatherings

Coronavirus infections are ravaging South Dakota, where more than half of tests have come back positive for weeks. Yet Gov. Kristi Noem won't require masks or take other measures to curb the spread, including urging families to limit Thanksgiving gatherings.

© Provided by Associated Press Travelers make their way through the 30th Street Station ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Philadelphia. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he'll attend a college football game over the weekend and spend the holiday with his parents, noting that, "Oklahomans should be with their loved ones over Thanksgiving.”

Zoom-ing for Thanksgiving dinner this year? Here's how to make the most of it

People around the country plan to turn to video calls for Thanksgiving dinners this year. Here's how to improve your Zooms-giving plans.Whether it's a full Thanksgiving dinner to be shared virtually or just a quick FaceTime to check in, people around the country plan to turn to video calls to catch up with family and friends they'd otherwise visit during the recent COVID-19 surge.

The CDC 's Thanksgiving warning was some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on curtailing traditional gatherings to fight the outbreak. The CDC issued the recommendations just one week before Thanksgiving , at a time when diagnosed infections, hospitalizations and deaths are

More governors across the country are issuing severe coronavirus restrictions as cases continue to increase ahead of Thanksgiving and officials warn "Social gatherings are groups of individuals, who are not members of the same household, congregated together for a common or coordinated social

And in Tennessee, where hospital beds are filling up and some hospitals struggle to find enough nurses, Republican Gov. Bill Lee said he has no plans to impose restrictions, though he would “encourage Tennesseans to think hard” about celebrating together.

© Provided by Associated Press FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 16, 2020 file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during an event with Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Beech Woods Recreation Center in Southfield, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 repeated her plea to Michigan residents to limit gatherings at Thanksgiving and keep loved ones safe. Whitmer's appeal came as the state health department reported 7,592 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 134 deaths, including 61 that were added after a records review.. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

As the public health crisis spins out of control and hospitalizations and deaths soar, health experts have agonized for weeks over the potential for explosive virus spread from indoor celebrations. Yet several Republican governors in hard-hit states refuse to echo urgent pleas from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Americans to stay home next Thursday.

Overnight Health Care: CDC recommends Americans avoid traveling for Thanksgiving | Health experts call on GSA to recognize Biden victory | White House holds first task force briefing in months

Welcome to Thursday's Overnight Health Care.As the pandemic worsens by the day, the White House coronavirus task force gave its first public briefing in months and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised people not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.We'll start with CDC:CDC recommends Americans to avoid traveling for ThanksgivingThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending people avoid traveling to see friends and family during the Thanksgiving holiday as COVID-19 cases continue to surge, with millions currently infected, many of whom are not showing symptoms and don't know they are contagious.

The CDC is 'strongly' advising Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. The recommendation is some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on curtailing traditional gatherings to fight the outbreak.

in coronavirus cases after Thanksgiving , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) updated its guidance on Thursday, urging Americans not to travel for the holidays—instead celebrating virtually and with those they live with—or take special precautions if they do attend gatherings .

“We know what will happen. We know that three to four weeks from Thanksgiving, we will see an exacerbation of the outbreaks,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who called the governors' reluctance to impose restrictions or encourage people to stay home a “tragedy” motivated by politics.

© Provided by Associated Press A passenger waits to board a train at the station in Providence, R.I., Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The United States has had more than 11 million diagnosed infections and more than 253,000 deaths from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. And hospitals in many states are running out of beds and are short on nurses, including in the states where governors are reluctant to act.

Lines to get tested for coronavirus are growing long ahead of Thanksgiving and amid rising cases

As US coronavirus cases soar and people seek tests ahead of Thanksgiving travel, long lines are forming outside testing sites around the country, appointments are filling up, and commercial labs are warning that their capacities are being stretched. © Bebeto Matthews/AP People wait in a line stretching around a block outside an urgent care clinic offering Covid-19 testing in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday.

While there is good news on the coronavirus vaccine front, the CDC is urging Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving , as cases rise across the country. Also, Georgia election officials declared Joe Biden the winner in the state after they completed an unprecedented audit of paper ballots.

CDC urges Americans to cancel Thanksgiving travel plans Because the state of our democracy is in shambles at the moment, there’s no cohesive message on what to do about Thanksgiving , leaving local and state officials to gently urge Americans to cancel Thanksgiving . There’s been a whole lotta

“By not walking the talk .. I think they’re sending a very dangerous message to their citizens,” Benjamin said.

Yet some governors who for months echoed President Donald Trump’s criticism of measures to control the virus are now relenting, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who recently ordered the use of masks statewide.

And Republican and Democratic governors from several Midwestern states issued a joint video urging people to say home for Thanksgiving and wear masks to slow the spread of the virus until a vaccine is widely available.

© Provided by Associated Press Sam Hinthron carries his cat, Giro, in a backpack while looking to board a commuter train to Boston, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Providence, R.I. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, and his wife, Fran, cancelled their annual Thanksgiving gathering at their farm in southwestern Ohio, saying it would be too risky for Fran DeWine's 94-year-old mother and two new grandchildren who are just days old.

'It's scary': Family members returning home bring higher COVID risk for Thanksgiving gatherings

Americans pondering Thanksgiving gatherings amid a national COVID spike should bear in mind the increased risks, experts say.Public health experts are discouraging nonessential travel and gatherings of multiple households for Thanksgiving, fearing those activities may further spread a virus that has sickened more than 11.5 million and killed in excess of 251,000 in the U.S. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against traveling for Thanksgiving.

© Provided by Associated Press A traveler walks through the 30th Street Station ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Philadelphia. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Instead, they will celebrate with family via Zoom or FaceTime and deliver food or see family members from a distance as they pick up turkey, homemade rolls, pies and apple dumplings made by Fran DeWine.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, is urging people to limit Thanksgiving gatherings, saying, "We ought to love our loved ones enough to not want to expose them to the dangers of COVID.”

© Provided by Associated Press A passenger descends a staircase to board an Amtrak train, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Providence, R.I. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

And Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who has weathered backlash from residents over business closures and mask orders, said she will spend time on Thanksgiving with extended family on Zoom rather than in-person, and urges others to do the same.

COVID-19 means Thanksgiving alone for many Americans

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, many will skip the big feast and spend Thanksgiving alone to protect themselves and their families.Her mother is a cardiology nurse, her sister works at a nursing home and Broderick has been teaching in-person classes as an assistant biology professor at Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. Since all of them interact with people outside of their immediate families each day, exposing them to COVID-19, Broderick said she will stay home.

© Provided by Associated Press A passenger descends a staircase to board an Amtrak train as a commuter train heading to Boston leaves the station at right, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Providence, R.I. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Still, some governors say they're counting on residents to make up their own minds, even as cases in their states soar.

Noem even appeared to criticize measures in other states in a statement Friday, saying, “We won’t stop or discourage you from thanking God and spending time together this Thanksgiving.”

She said smaller gatherings “may be smarter this year” and that anyone who’s sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms might want to stay home. CDC scientists believe that around 40% of people who are infected do not have obvious symptoms but can still spread the virus.

© Provided by Associated Press A train employee boards the commuter rail heading to Boston after waiting for passengers, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Providence, R.I. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said it's a good idea to be especially mindful during Thanksgiving, but when asked her advice for people considering holding family gatherings she didn’t discourage them.

Giving thanks, expressing hope: presidential wishes at Thanksgiving

From Washington to Lincoln and beyond, presidents called on the nation to give thanks in messages that reflect the challenges of each era.Just months after his election, George Washington — who had led his beleaguered Revolutionary War troops in Thanksgiving rituals outside Valley Forge, Pa., in 1777 — began the tradition of presidential proclamations at this season.

“Just be conscientious of your surroundings, who you’re bringing in and practice mitigation efforts,” said Reynolds, a Republican whose state has surpassed 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections. “But Iowans know what to do. They’ll do the right thing. They’re responsible.”

© Provided by Associated Press A man walks through the 30th Street Station ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Philadelphia. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. Associated Press writers David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio; Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa; and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.