WORCESTER COUNTY, Mass. - Matt Valerio is filling up his tank and heading to Rhode Island for Labor Day weekend.
“We're vaccinated. And, you know, coming from Vermont, we've had it pretty lucky up there," Valerio said.
The CDC is urging people who aren’t vaccinated, not to travel this weekend.
“Traveling without it, without getting vaccinated, is a huge risk," Dr. John Haran, associate professor of Emergency Medicine at UMass Medical School, said. "Because if you personally getting sick, from what we know this delta variant does cause more severe forms of disease, but then also spreading it to many more people."
Dr. Haran says summer's last hurrah is likely to come with consequences.
“It’s very concerning," Dr. Haran said. "For sure we're gonna see a bump in cases. It happens after every holiday we've seen in the last couple of years with COVID."
Labor Day cookouts are popular tradition.
“Starting on Thursday at 9 o’clock, we haven’t stopped running. It has just been really busy," Joan Culbert, owner of Emerald Meats in Worcester, said.
Joan Reidy is picking up items from Emerald Meats for her family barbecue.
“We are absolutely concerned about COVID with the variants coming out, but we are just keeping it small," Reidy said. "Just because we have a small family anyway."
Peter DeCaro is gettig ready for a party, too.
"Outside, so you know, that way we can keep everybody safe during these interesting times that we're in," DeCaro said. "We have a close group of friends that we socialize with frequently and that fortunately we're with each other enough, where we know it's a safe environment."
Dr. Haran thinks it’s a smart move. He also says it’s important to know if the people you’re hanging out with are vaccinated.
“Getting together with smaller groups, mostly outside I think that's pretty safe," Dr. Haran said. "I mean it's been shown that gathering outside is safe without masks. If you're indoors, I think it's important to remember that masking wearing still helps to reduce transmission."
And Dr. Haran says if you’re traveling, keep an eye on where you’re going. Some states have higher transmission rates than others.