New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is declaring COVID-19 the “Grinch” as the Christmas season nears.
Cuomo noted during Monday’s press conference the mindset for the holiday season with gift buying, holiday celebrations, having meals together, families reuniting, students returning home, and religious gatherings.
He then said, “COVID is the Grinch,” adding, “The COVID Grinch is an opportunist and the COVID Grinch sees this as the season of viral transmission.”
The first movie about the “Grinch” came out in 1966, titled “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The character from the movie attempts to steal Christmas from the townspeople.
“This is the season of the COVID Grinch,” Cuomo said. “When you hear that holiday music… think COVID Grinch and be on alert.”
See Cuomo’s comments below:
Gov. Cuomo: ‘COVID is the Grinch … The COVID Grinch is an opportunist and sees this as the season of viral transmission … This is the season of the COVID Grinch. When you hear that holiday music, think COVID Grinch and be on alert.’ pic.twitter.com/88MCNNBhsJ
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) November 30, 2020
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to put out advice specifically on Christmas. However, ahead of the holidays with Thanksgiving, the CDC said on its website, “Holiday celebrations will likely need to be different this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Avoid activities that are higher risk for spread. Consider fun alternatives that pose lower risk of spreading COVID-19.”
There have been 162,007 cases per day on average the past week, according to The New York Times. This is an 8% increase from the two weeks prior. The only U.S. states and territories that have lower numbers of COVID-19 positive cases and are staying low are Maine, Vermont, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. In 35 states, the daily deaths per capita are increasing.
