Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns Coloradans To Not Treat Holiday Season Like Normal

DENVER (CBS4) - Dr. Anthony Fauci warned against shopping in crowds as Colorado deals with a rise in coronavirus cases during the holiday season. He joined Gov. Jared Polis for a virtual news conference on Tuesday.

Fauci says he expects to see numbers increase in the next two weeks to 30 days because of gatherings for Thanksgiving.

He implored people not to treat this like a normal holiday season.

"Even though we are out of the Thanksgiving season, we are rapidly going to emerge into the season of people shopping, crowding, preparing, perhaps even the ill-advised holiday office parties if they can exist anymore. And then the Christmas holiday and then New Year's Eve and New Year's Day," Fauci said. "Avoid the things that we know are pleasant and desirable, though they are dangerous now, like family and friends getting together."

More than 1,800 people were in Colorado hospitals on Monday with confirmed coronavirus cases. With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise across the state, celebrating the December holidays outside your household may be discouraged.