Dr Fauci urges fans to 'Lay Low', calls for cancellation of Super Bowl 2021 parties

The Super Bowl was the last mega sporting event held in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic and a return of the big game comes with a note of caution. Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to US President Joe Biden, has advised NFL fans to avoid Super Bowl parties amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all set to host the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl 2021 on Sunday (Monday IST) at the Raymond James Stadium. 

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Super Bowl party: Dr. Fauci advises NFL fans to Lay low and cool it amidst pandemic 

In appearances on NBC's Today and ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday morning, Dr Anthony Fauci has advised that the people in the United States should avoid large Super Bowl parties and believes that COVID-19 cases could increase even further in the country if people hold or attend Super Bowl parties. Dr Fauci compared the occasion of Super Bowl 2021 to other major events that have prompted upticks in the country's COVID-19 case count, like Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. The 80-year-old further said that now was not the time for gatherings and parties, as difficult as that might be. 

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Dr Fauci's advice reverberates that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released updated guidance last week on frequenting gatherings, including Super Bowl parties, saying the safest way to watch the event is at home with immediate family. There are expected to be around 25,000 fans in attendance for Sunday's Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa of which 7,500 of whom will be vaccinated health care workers. Dr Fauci said that for any in-person spectators planning to watch the game, one should wear masks at all times and practise physical distancing.  

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Additionally, all 32 clubs will select vaccinated health care workers from their communities to attend the big game. Dr Fauci's comments come in days after Carole Baskin, the Big Cats Rescue CEO, stated that it was irresponsible for the NFL to hold the event with fans. Speaking to USA Today, she said that there is nothing that justifies the sort of risk that the organisers are taking by bringing 22,000 people to the Super Bowl venue, from all over the place and an uptick in COVID-19 cases is likely to happen.

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(Image Courtesy: AP)