About 40% of Americans said they are looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with ten or more people this holiday season, said a recent survey from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

In addition to that, one in three or 33% of the respondents to the survey said they would not require friends or family to wear masks during thanksgiving dinner and other holiday gatherings.

Then, 27% said they will not be practicing social distancing during the said holiday gatherings.

It appears a handful of Americans are still choosing to celebrate thanksgiving dinner in a somewhat unsafe setup. The survey was of national scope and took responses from over 2,000 people.

It found that while many people are expected to take prevention measures seriously during the holidays, a significant percentage are still disinclined to do so.

Health Experts Warn Against Indoor Thanksgiving Dinner

The results of the survey came just less than two weeks before Thanksgiving and amid the U.S.'s third and most widely spread wave of coronavirus infections.

According to Vox, the surge suggests that millions of Americans still choose to end up ignoring the recommendations laid out by public health experts on how to minimize the risk of transmitting COVID-19 during the holidays.

State leaders and health experts, including top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned against celebrating the holidays indoors.

According to The Hill, experts have grown more worried, especially with large groups of people gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Part of the experts' warnings is for those aged 65 and older, who should exercise greater caution when going to gatherings of large groups due to more fatal symptoms they will likely experience.

Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief quality and patient safety officer at OSU Wexner Medical Center, urged Americans to reevaluate their plans.

"We're going to look back at what happened during this holiday season and ask ourselves, 'Were we part of the solution or were we part of the problem?'" he said.

He noted that when people are gathered, engaged in conversation and are not following the six feet recommended social distancing with their masks down, the virus can really spread. This is true even with small groups, he added.

Majority to Follow Holiday Safety Measures

Even though a considerable amount of people said they will not be meeting safety recommendations for the holidays, some will still follow.

A majority of 73% of respondents said they will be practicing social distancing during the holidays. Additionally, 79% said they will only celebrate the holiday with people with whom they live with.

Eighty percent of the respondents also said they will not ask family and friends to come celebrate with them if they experience COVID-19 symptoms.

The results of the OSU survey came as several states have eased or tightened restrictions on social gatherings during the holidays.

In the U.S., there are 153,496 new cases reported since Friday. Almost every state in the country has reported a rise in coronavirus cases.

Hospitalizations hit record numbers, triggering concerns that hospitals may be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients in the winter. The death toll also rose, averaging to more than 1,000 per day in the past week.