Public health experts urge socially distant Fourth of July celebrations, as the coronavirus surges across the U.S.
Some communities are being preemptive: Los Angeles and Miami closed their beaches, New York City is shooting off “unannounced displays” of fireworks, so people won’t gather for a planned show. In cities from Anchorage to El Paso to Bloomington, Ind., forget about the parade.
But whether and how much the Fourth of July weekend boosts transmission of Covid-19 depends in no small part on the choices and actions of individual people. So health officials, clinicians, and infectious disease experts are pleading with the public to take precautions and minimize the risk that they might unknowingly spread the coronavirus or put themselves in a position to contract it.
