As COVID-19 cases soar nationally, nearly two in five people in the U.S. plan to gather for the holidays with more than 10 people and forego wearing masks, a national survey by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center found.
“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?’” Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief quality and patient safety officer at Wexner, said in a statement. “When you’re gathered together around the table, engaged in conversation, sitting less than six feet apart with your masks down, even in a small group, that’s when the spread of this virus can really happen.”
In an interview with the Mount Vernon News, Julie Miller, director of Knox Public Health, urged people to be “creative” with how they gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving.
The state of Ohio recently raised Knox County to level red because of an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“Do Facetime more, do drive-in or drive-by dinners — however you can do it so that you’re not sharing space,” Miller said.
The health director said she loves her family members but doesn’t know for sure whether they have been wearing masks in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
“I think making a sacrifice at Thanksgiving in 2020 will probably ensure that we can celebrate as we traditionally do in 2021,” she said.
Those having Thanksgiving guests should plan ahead to ensure the safest possible gathering, Gonsenhauser said. That includes seating same-household guests together rather than with people from other households.
Additionally, if relatives are visiting from elsewhere, research the COVID-19 rates in the area they are coming from.
“If you have somebody in your household who’s high risk and you’re in a low-incidence area, you’re going to want to think twice about having a celebration where people are coming from an area where there’s a lot of virus in the community,” Gonsenhauser said.
Some readers offered feedback about holiday plans on the News' Facebook page.
"We’re not doing big family Thanksgiving," Scott Mickley said. "(There will) only be few of us and food taken and dropped off to grandparents and few others."
Others hoped for a more traditional celebration.
"Holidays as normal," Mikala Squires said. "You never know when will be your last one with family."
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