WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With the holidays fast approaching, some new concerns are arising about the omicron variant and what that means for traveling and gatherings.
Leslie Small, who lives in Boynton Beach, said she is sticking close to home.
"I think we'll stay closer to home, and certainly within southern Florida, for the next couple months," she said. "Though we have been vaccinated and boosted, you never know."
Others like Becky Keshmiri said she'll continue on with plans to celebrate with family and loved ones.
"I live in New York and I live in Florida. Both places," she said. "I'm going to go up to New York and I am going to celebrate Christmas up there, believe it or not."
Dr. Larry Bush is an infectious disease specialist.
"I think people should not change how they celebrate the holidays because I think they should have been doing the same thing all along, which is still, if you are in a large public crowd, I think it's important to be masked and I think it's important to be sure that you've been vaccinated," he said.
Bush said anyone heading out of the town for the holidays should consider taking action.
"If you are going to be traveling soon, getting a booster is very important," he said. "There's no doubt about it that boosting prevents outbreaks, transmission breakthroughs."
Bush said it helps to be vigilant and know with whom a person is gathering.
"As far as being around people who are not vaccinated or that you're just questioning about, there are so many over-the-counter antigen rapid tests now that will detect any strain, that we know of, of COVID right now," Bush said.