[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] Cases are up more than the experts expected at this point in the fall and in more places. Hospitalization hospitalization rates are on the rise, and that's a lagging indicator, so that means by the time we find that out, we know we have trouble. Now comes new information regarding how COVID-19 is being transmitted. The CDC's new guidelines redefine close contact with an infected person. So, what does that mean, close contact with an infected person? It now includes multiple brief exposures that add up to 15 minutes, instead of only continuous contact for a long time. Let's bring in Chief Doctor Sanjay Gupta for more on this guidance. Now, first it was "Don't touch things. You can get it." We moved past that. This isn't so much a touch thing. It's aerosolized. And then it was, "But you have to be around a person for a long time." And we had this scenario of "I'd rather give someone a hug, and walk on, than talk to somebody in close setting for several minutes." Now they're saying that period of about 15 minutes is relevant, but you can get to it episodically, and not just in one contact. Is that right?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes, I mean that's basically it, Chris. And, in some ways, it's always been a bit arbitrary, I think, as you are sort of alluding to, right? I mean, if you have 15-minute contact, what if the person sneezes in the middle of that, after a minute? Does that change anything? What if you are five feet away instead of six feet away? It always felt a bit arbitrary. And I think that that this guidance now is sort of reflecting that. I'll just show you quick. You just sort of talked about it, Chris, but I'll just show people. Again, what was close contact? Within six feet, for at least 15 minutes. Now, cumulative total of 15 minutes, or more, over a 24-hour period. So, it kind of better reflects, I think, what we have been told, which is that you should wear a mask. This is really about masks ultimately. This whole guidance is about masks, basically saying wear a mask. Even if you think you're going to be around somebody for just a few minutes, wear a mask.
[Cuomo:] All right. And look, we know that masks have been politicized, and we know that people are very happy about that, especially on the Right. But it's about fatigue as much as it's about masks now, right, Sanjay? I mean people have had it. The President is right about that. And we're coming up to the holidays. And people are not going to want to be wearing masks. They're going to say, "Look, I know all these people. Nobody here's been sick. I'm going to be OK. And we'll keep it smart while we're together." And more and more, the clusters aren't community spread of massive populations. They're little micro clusters of exactly what we all do in the holidays. So, how big a deal is this changing guidance now?
[Gupta:] Well I think it's a pretty big deal, Chris. And this isn't easy. I mean I've been going through this with my own family, trying to figure out the holidays. Maybe you have as well. The issue is this. I mean if it's your own family cluster that you've been with the whole time, obviously that's not the concern, because you've been with folks within your own family, living in the same household, for months now. If you start to bring in other people, parents, perhaps vulnerable, my parents are in their late 70s, I think that that's going to be a concern. It's going to be very hard, certainly to maintain distance. It's going to be hard to be outside because it's cold. I think if you are doing dinner, you can't obviously mask. So, it's a challenging proposition. People have asked me, "What is the best way to do it? I absolutely want to meet with my family over the holidays. How could I possibly do it?" First of all, I tell them that I'm not, having gone through the iterations myself. But if you wanted to do it, you'd probably want to get tested, then go into, essentially, a quarantine, for 14 days, possibly get tested again, after that, at the point where you visit. You want to be wearing masks as much as possible. Be outside as much as possible. Open windows to increase ventilation and try and keep distance. Doesn't sound like a very fun holiday, is my point, and there is a lot of hurdles to jump through. Chris, I mean this year is going to be tough. I think this year is a wash. Next year Thanksgiving, I mean I hope I can spend it with my family, and you can spend it with yours. I think it's just going to be tough this year, and it won't feel like a very good holiday, having gone through all those hoops.
[Cuomo:] Well, look, they changed it for a reason. They're changing it right before the holidays, just taking into consideration. It's not just one piece of contact. Little contacts can add up. It's just more one more reason for us to fight the fatigue if we want to get better. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] None of this is easy. Nobody is saying it is.
[Gupta:] You got it, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Trump and Biden aren't the only ones focused on the last 13 days of this election. McConnell, Pelosi, Schumer, McCarthy, they are all wondering if we're about to see a massive shakeup in the control of Congress. What's the chance? The Wizard of Odds has been looking at the down-ballot races, where they matter, and why they matter. He's got his special Data Goggles on, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.