As Thanksgiving approaches, experts are becoming more vocal about avoiding traditional holiday gatherings in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. In Illinois, the Chicago Tribune reports Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the state’s Department of Public Health, warned at a virtual event that if you want to see your loved ones at Christmas, don’t see them at Thanksgiving. “Do we want to sit with people at Thanksgiving, and weeks later attend their funeral?” Ezike said. “Then the funeral spreads the infection, and there are more funerals.” Likewise, the Boston Globe reports Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker urged people to stay home this Thanksgiving, declaring, “The holidays have to look and feel different this year if we’re going to keep up the fight against COVID.” And in Philadelphia, WPVI reports Dr. Thomas Farley, the city’s health commissioner said his official recommendation is that everyone “cancel their planned family holiday gatherings,” adding, “We are not going to get past this epidemic by Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas… Family gatherings right now are simply very dangerous.”
However, President Trump’s COVID-19 testing coordinator, Adm. Brett Giroir, was less severe in his warnings about the holidays in a Washington Post live forum Monday. “I’m not a party pooper, but having 20 or 30 or 40 people at your house for Thanksgiving, without appropriate precautions and being careful — that can be a recipe for spread too,” said Giroir. “So I’m not saying throw grandma out in the cold and not bring her in, but I am saying, be very careful about your hygiene hand washing, physically distance if you can, particularly those who are very vulnerable. That will save lives and save your family.” Giroir also said he expects a COVID-19 vaccine will be available before the end of this year, but that most Americans won’t receive it until the middle of next year.
Experts, others warn against Thanksgiving gatherings during pandemic
