Baltimore City Council President-Elect Nick Mosby has added his voice to pleas from health experts and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention urging people to stay home for Thanksgiving this year.

He warned at a press conference today with other city council members that if people stop taking COVID-19 seriously, Thanksgiving gatherings could become superspreader events across the country.

“We're losing people every single day,” he said. “And we understand and know that African Americans are affected four times more...than their white counterparts.”

Mosby said he wants Baltimore to set a good example.

City Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton said she’s planning to stay home for Thanksgiving. She reminded Baltimoreans to wear their masks, wash their hands and social distance.

“We need to get a hold of this,” she said. “It's only for a short time but it is an emergency.”

Mosby also announced that the City Council inaugural ceremony will be virtual to the public due to the surge of COVID-19. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 10.