With hospitalizations rising across much of the nation, straining already exhausted medical staff, officials in more than 20 states have imposed restrictions to curtail the spread of the virus. Daily COVID-19 deaths surpassed the 2,000 mark for the first time since late June on Thursday. THANKSGIVING FEARSU.S. officials have pleaded with the public to avoid unnecessary travel and exercise caution as the winter holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas approach. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a "strong recommendation" on Thursday that Americans refrain from traveling for the holiday. It now projects 471,000 coronavirus deaths by March 1, up from less than 440,000 in its previous forecast.
