The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans to avoid traveling for Thanksgiving, and to not spend the holiday with those outside their household, as the coronavirus outbreak worsens.

In this morning's The New Normal show, Dr. Maria Carney, the chief of geriatric and palliative medicine at Northwell Health, joined News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen to discuss the steps we must take now, and what the latest updates show on the search for a cure. Below is what she had to say about the warning:

Here's what you need to know about the warning from U.S. health authorities:

The CDC says that as cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.

The U.S. death toll has passed 252,000 people, and now the CDC's ensemble forecast projects there will be 276,000 to 298,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. by Dec. 12.

Do not travel if you, someone in your household, or someone you're visiting is sick. Check if there are high or increasing in your community or your destination. (Check the CDC's COVID-18 Data Tracker for the latest number of cases). Check if hospitals in your community or your destination are overwhelmed with patients. And check for local requirements or restrictions for travelers. See more tips from the CDC.

Dr. Carney says we need to protect everybody:

Also consider if your way of traveling - by bus, train, plane - will make staying 6 feet apart difficult.

Check out this list with the CDC guidelines for holiday travelers.

Consider making other plans, such as hosting a virtual gathering or delaying your travel. Here's a list of alternative Thanksgiving plans to celebrate the holiday.

Dr. Carney puts into perspective the human and family toll of the rising COVID-19 numbers in the video below: