The CDC has issued new guidelines for Americans ahead of the Thanksgiving holidays. They’re recommending that you don’t eat inside with people you don’t live with, that you don’t travel, and that if college students come home they should be wearing masks around other family members. Any returning family member who hasn’t quarantined for 14 days should wear a mask. Cases are spiking all over the US and the numbers are dire.

“CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving Day period,” Dr. Henry Walke, Covid-19 incident manager for the CDC, told reporters in a conference call.

“Right now, especially as we are seeing exponential growth in cases and the opportunity to translocate disease or infection from one part of the country to another leads, to our recommendation to avoid travel at this time.”

“The reason that we made the update is that the fact that over the week we’ve seen over a million new cases in the country,” Dr. Erin Sauber-Schatz, the CDC’s lead for Community Intervention and Critical Population Task Force, said during the briefing….

“What is at stake is the increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then being hospitalized and dying around the holidays,” Walke said…

“One of our concerns is people over the holiday season will get together and they may actually be bringing infection with them to that small gathering and not even know it,” Walke said.

“We received lots of questions from the American people about college students or people that were coming home for the holidays that are family members or are a household member, so further clarifying that the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is at home with the people in your household,” Sauber-Schatz said.

“People who have not been living in your household for the 14 days before you are celebrating should not be considered members of your household and so you should take those extra precautions, even wearing masks within your own home.”

Families can also ask college students or other people who would normally be loosely considered household members to quarantine as much as possible for 14 days before arriving.

Safer gatherings can be held outside as much as possible, the CDC recommends. People can wear masks when together, and place chairs and furniture farther apart.

People who do travel should wear masks, keep their distance from others and wash their hands or use hand sanitizer frequently, the CDC said.

[From CNN]

Read the CDC’s guidelines for small gatherings. There are so many things to consider like frequently disinfecting surfaces, limiting contact with food and utensils and making sure there’s enough ventilation. You’re not supposed to sing or shout, especially indoors, and of course you’re not supposed to hug or get near anyone you don’t live with. Everyone should wear a mask when not eating or drinking, even outdoors.

Eating outside is still dangerous too. Why do that? Just skip Thanksgiving this year and Zoom people you don’t live with. Now is not the time to f’ck around with the virus and hang out eating. Buffet style food is not safe either. I don’t understand why people can’t see that and just skip the group holidays this year. It’s riskier now more than ever and the least we can do is keep our friends and family safe.

On a more positive note, a lot of people are realizing that turkey is useless and are instead baking chicken for Thanksgiving. I asked my son if he wanted to do this, but he said he really likes turkey so I got us some breasts to cook.

photos credit: Askar Abayev, Karolina Grabowska and Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels