Unvaccinated Americans are being asked to stay home during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend as cases of the coronavirus continue to surge.
The request comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shared tips for safely celebrating the holiday to minimize the spread of the virus as the more contagious Delta variant continues to circulate.
"First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing on Tuesday.
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Walensky went on to say that even people who are fully vaccinated might want to rethink their plans if they were wishing to get out of town this weekend.
"Given where we are with disease transmission right now, we would say that people need to take these risks into their own consideration as they think about traveling," she said.
People who do decide to travel -- vaccinated or not -- should remember to wear masks while gathering in public indoor settings, Walensky added.
"Masks are not forever, but they are for now," she said. "Throughout the pandemic, we have seen that the vast majority of transmission takes place among unvaccinated people in closed indoor settings."
Walensky encouraged those who are gathering with friends and family for Labor Day to spend time in outdoor settings, where transmission rates are lower.
The latest data from the CDC shows the U.S. is reporting an average of 129,000 new cases of the coronavirus per day.
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