MAGIC VALLEY — The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, issued out a warning to unvaccinated people urging them not to travel this Labor Day weekend.
The South Central Public Health District is urging the same of Magic Valley residents.
"We’re seeing a big surge in cases all of our counties. Except two [counties] are at critical risk, the other two that are not are at high risk, and a lot of that is because of the impact on our hospitals right now," Brianna Bodily with South Central Public Health District said.
Health officials say their biggest concern during this time is hospitals not being able to keep up with demand.
“The biggest concern is about how all of this is impacting our hospitals. So many of our hospitals are diverting their program. So that means if the department you need to access, for example, if you are a pregnant woman, and you have to schedule an induction, and you need to go to the hospital if labor and delivery is diverted right now, you need to go to another hospital,” Bodily said.
Health officials urge those who are vaccinated and planning to travel this Labor Day weekend to still take caution.
“If your immune system is suppressed in any way, be very careful about where you go and who you go with, who you might associate with while you are there so that you can keep your risk levels as low as possible," Bodily said.
They say the most essential thing for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is staying home if you are feeling sick.
“Now if you are very healthy if your immune system is up to par, but you aren’t feeling well, that’s also a good time to say, I’m not going to go anywhere this weekend. This will help prevent the spread of not only COVID-19 but any other disease that is out in our community right now,” Bodily said.
