With Americans now paying the price for what they did over Thanksgiving and falling sick with COVID-19, health officials are warning people — begging them, even — not to make the same mistake during the Christmas and New Year’s season.

Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert is standing with that massive and growing number of colleagues and medical professionals across the state and nation hoping local residents will restrict any further holiday-related gatherings outside of immediate household members as the next round of festivities could yield even more cases.

Wall-to-wall holidays started this week. Hanukkah began Thursday evening and ends December 18, followed by Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve.

Culbert is now juggling more contact tracing than ever as positive COVID-19 cases swelled to 790 across her district — that includes Bridgewater and Roxbury — 714 of which are in Newtown. Culbert also confirmed Newtown has lost three more residents to the virus in December, marking the first COVID-related deaths in town since mid-September.

She said one local death was an individual between age 60-65, while the other two were over the age of 80.

Statewide Friday, Governor Ned Lamont’s office reported that positive cases increased by almost 3,800 in one day, and that as of Thursday evening, 3,686,121 state residents had been tested. Nationally, the situation continues to grow more dire by the hour.

Surge Upon Surge

“It’s a surge above the existing surge,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Quite honestly, it’s a warning sign for all of us.”

Across the country, contact tracers and emergency room doctors are hearing repeatedly from new coronavirus patients that they socialized over Thanksgiving with people outside their households, despite emphatic public-health warnings to stay home and keep their distance from others.

The virus was raging across the nation even before Thanksgiving, but was showing some signs of flattening out. It has picked up steam since, with new cases per day regularly climbing well over 200,000.

COVID-19 deaths in the US have climbed to a seven-day average of almost 2,260 per day, about equal to the peak seen in mid-April, when the New York City area was under siege. A new surge there this week will force indoor dining restrictions to be reinstated in New York City on Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced. Only takeout orders and outdoor dining will be allowed.

In other parts of New York State, contact tracers are regularly hearing from the newly infected that they attended Thanksgiving festivities, said Steuben County Public Health Director Darlene Smith. Still unknown is how many they will infect and how many eventually will need a bed in intensive care, she said.

“It’s the domino effect,” Smith said.

New cases are running at about 195,000 a day, based on a two-week rolling average, a 16 percent increase from the day before Thanksgiving, according to an Associated Press analysis. The virus could still be incubating in someone who was exposed while traveling home the Sunday after Thanksgiving; the end of that two-week incubation period is this Sunday.

Holiday Consumer Advisory

Also on December 11, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is reminding consumers that they should be aware of return and exchange policies as they continue their holiday shopping this year, particularly as many people have been shopping online during the ongoing pandemic.

Buyers should read the terms and conditions prior to submitting their orders to understand their return and exchange rights, as well as the remedies available if a package is seriously delayed. Consumers should return unwanted gifts sooner than later to ensure the best outcome for their return or exchange.

This year, the state agency has received more than 1,100 complaints related to refunds, credits, and exchanges. That’s almost 400 more complaints than the department received in 2019.

“With so many people shopping online this year, it’s especially important to be aware of return and exchange policies before you make your purchases,” Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said. “Whether you’re shopping for yourself or a loved one, make sure to keep your receipts, and ask for gift receipts when possible, as well as pay attention to the timeframe for returns on particular purchases.”

Here are useful tips that consumers should know: *In Connecticut, sellers can set their own refund or exchange policies, provided they post the policy in a conspicuous place for customers to see. *If there is no policy posted, customers may return any new, unused item to the store with a proof of purchase within seven calendar days and get a cash refund on a cash sale or a credit to their account on a credit sale. *Consumers are not entitled to a refund on: food; perishable items, including live plants; custom-ordered or custom-made items; items that were cold “as is” or as a “final sale;” items with no proof of purchase; and used items.

Seagull also said stores may charge a “restocking fee,” which covers its cost for returning an unwanted item to its warehouse. If this restocking fee is part of the store’s refund and exchange policy, it must be posted in a conspicuous place for customers to see.

Tax law affects refunds. Retailers cannot issue a refund on the sales tax portion of a purchase without having a printed sales receipt, and after 90 days, no refunds of sales tax are allowed at all, even with a receipt.

If consumers have issues with a return or exchange, they are encouraged to file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection by e-mailing dcp.complaints@ct.gov or by visiting ct.gov/dcp/complaint.

Associated Press content was used in this report.