During a White House COVID-19 task force news briefing on Wednesday, the head of the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases urged Americans to “stay away” from large gatherings, which he defined as 30 to 50 people.

“Those are the kind of functions — in the context of COVID, and particularly in the context of omicron — that you do not want to go to,” Fauci said.

Fauci called “parties” and larger gatherings a “higher risk,” but said it would be safe for fully vaccinated individuals, who are boosted, to attend smaller family gatherings.