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Dr. Anthony Fauci.Graeme Jennings- Pool / Getty Images

October 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the controversial top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, said American families should consider biting the bullet in sacrificing their Thanksgiving holiday weekend this year because of COVID-19.

“You may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering, unless you’re pretty certain that the people that you’re dealing with are not infected. Either they have been very recently tested or they're living a lifestyle in which they don’t have any interaction with anybody, except you and your family. Then you’re OK,” Fauci told CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell earlier in the week.

“When you’re talking about relatives, that are getting on a plane, being exposed in an airport, being exposed in a plane, then walk in a door and say, ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ — that, you have to be careful about.”

Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID).

His Thanksgiving remarks came about after O’Donnell asked him to comment on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Robert Redfield’s own Thanksgiving comments.

Redfield recently said gatherings such as Thanksgiving dinners could spread the disease and that people should reconsider getting together. He made the remarks in a call with the nation’s governors, according to a CNN report based on audio of the call.

“Particularly with Thanksgiving coming up, we think it’s really important to stress the vigilance of these continued mitigation steps in the household setting,” said Redfield in his call with governors.

Fauci told O’Donnell in response to Redfield’s remarks that he thinks it’s “unfortunate” that families might not be able to gather.

“I do, I do, and that’s really an unfortunate fact that is gonna cause obviously some concern about everyone who looks forward to the holiday and interacting with family members they haven’t seen in a while,” Fauci told O’Donnell in response to Redfield’s remarks.

“It is unfortunate, because that’s such a sacred part of American tradition — the family gathering around Thanksgiving. But that is a risk.”

O’Donnell also asked Fauci what his own Thanksgiving plans are, and he replied to her that his three kids, who live out of state, won’t be joining them.

“They themselves, because of their concern for me and my age, have decided they’re not going to come home for Thanksgiving, even though all three of them want very much to come home for Thanksgiving,” Fauci told O’Donnell.

During his interview with O’Donnell, Fauci said that everyone needs to “double down” in the coming fall and winter months, saying he is concerned that increased “indoor” activities could cause the virus to spread.

Fauci himself has been a source of controversy for his strategy regarding COVID-19, first saying masks were not needed and then backtracking to say they are necessary.

Back in April, Fauci said he does not think people should “ever shake hands again.”

“Not only would it be good to prevent coronavirus disease, it probably would decrease instances of influenza dramatically in this country,” said Fauci.

In September, Fauci said that life might return to normal “towards the end of 2021” in speaking about a scenario where a COVID-19 vaccine was ready to go by the end of 2020.