Public health officials in Springfield are urging people to not gather for the upcoming holidays as COVID-19 cases continue rising.
Springfield-Greene County Health Department director, Clay Goddard, said they can attribute a significant portion of the county’s case growth in the past two weeks to Thanksgiving.
"In just those two weeks, Thanksgiving gatherings became the most common known community exposure in Greene County," said Goddard.
Thanksgiving gatherings have grown to be 13 percent of known exposures among cases the department has been able to investigate, he said.
There have been 51 COVID-19 deaths in Greene County in December, and Goddard expects that number to increase.
Assistant health department director, Katie Towns, said the health department is advising people not to gather with anyone outside their immediate household.
You can find out more at health.springfieldmo.gov/celebrate safely.
