Don't be complacent, remember your 3-Ws even when on vacation, doctors warn

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Labor Day weekend is here and families are hitting the road, but doctors say just because you're taking time off, doesn't mean COVID-19 and other viruses are doing the same.

"The most important thing for people to realize is that we are still in some of the highest levels of this outbreak that we have seen to date," said Dr. Emily Sickbert-Bennett, UNC Healthcare director of infection prevention.

With gas prices the lowest we've seen since 2004, it's likely some families will opt to get out of the house after a summer of quarantining. That puts health experts are on edge, especially after the spikes we saw immediately after Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

"There are obviously popular destinations where people like to go on holiday weekends or to invite larger groups over to celebrate together, so those are some of the situations that we worry about," Sickbert-Bennett said.

So what can you do? Sickbert-Bennett said it's important to make sure you're wearing your mask in public, socially distancing yourself from other people, and washing your hands frequently.

One other thing: If you don't feel well, stay home.

"If you are symptomatic and not feeling well, it is not the time for you to be getting together or going on a vacation," she said.

Hopefully if we take these precautions, this time next year the pandemic will be a thing of the past.

"We are learning some of these strategies that are basic infection prevention strategies. They wills serve us well. They will help us be healthy for long into the future," Sickbert-Bennett.