Illinoisans Should Stay Home for Holidays or Get Tested Twice, Says CDC

Staying right here at home is the best way to stay safe and protect others, but if you're going to ignore that advice, please get tested twice.

It has been just a week since I've been able to return to work after my wife tested positive for COVID-19. While she was very sick for several days, we we've been more fortunate than so many families. In the time that I have been out of quarantine and back to work, three people I know have died from this virus. The youngest was in their 30s, the oldest was in their 90s. Please take the following advice seriously.

The Centers for Disease Control is urging anyone who will be traveling for the holidays to get a COVID-19 test before leaving town and upon returning. Covid cases are on the rise all over the country, and so are deaths related to the virus.

Get tested one to three days before your trip and again three to five days afterward. They also recommended reducing non-essential activities for a full week after travel or for 10 days if not tested afterward.

Might I also recommend the kind of Covid test you should take. Getting the long-swab test is the most accurate if you don't have any symptoms. It's called the nasopharyngeal test.

Obviously, the best way to stay safe and protect others is to stay home. But pleas keep in mind that even if only a few people become infected while traveling, that could still result in hundreds of thousands of new infections.

[H/T WGN TV]

Steve Shannon is host of The Steve Shannon Show on 97ZOK. On the air weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. and a special 'Rewind' show, featuring favorite moments from previous shows, on Saturday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m.. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.