“To people who are traveling and people who have been fully vaccinated, have a great time,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.
“But for folks who have not been vaccinated, you can still get this virus and you can still die. We still have about 500 deaths per day.”
So while fully vaccinated Americans relish holiday barbeques and close gatherings without masks, others are styimied — or having a hard time adjusting to normalcy.
Returning to normal isn’t so easy for some
As Americans remember those in the military who died while serving their country, this Memorial Day can be especially challenging for those finding it difficult to start returning to normal life.
“Covid has really changed our lives,” clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere said.
“Whether it’s someone they know that has Covid or someone that they know that died, or friends who talked about it or just seeing it in the media, all of those things caused everyone some sort of trauma,” he said.
“We had gotten ourselves into a very safe bubble.” But now, he said, some people “are having anxiety.”
But vacationers like KerryAnn McGregor said the renewed freedom is welcome.
“It’s a whole year of staying indoors, and now you come outside everybody is out riding their bikes, jogging, exercising, partying,” said McGregor, who was visiting Miami Beach this weekend. “It’s OK now.”
Another air travel record is expected to break today
The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 7 million people from Thursday to Sunday. On Friday, the TSA screened 1.96 million people.
And travel industry experts say this will likely be busy summer. On Monday, United Airlines said bookings for this June through August are more than double the numbers from last year.
For those unvaccinated, variants ‘can wreak a lot of havoc’
Generally healthy people who have been fully vaccinaated “should feel very well protected,” CNN medical analyst and emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said “too many people are coming” to his scenic, coastal city.
“The virus is still here,” he said. “The volume of people that have been coming here is very unprecedented.”
The pandemic is definitely not over, WHO director says
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Read More: US coronavirus: Vaccinated Americans are celebrating the 1st big holiday