How to holiday: A guide to navigating Thanksgiving and COVID-19 – Minnesota Public Radio News

Thanksgiving can be a wonderful time of year: A time for family, a time for tradition a time when older family members get together with their germ-infested grandkids for a huge meal and a lot of close-talking.

But of course, this is a pandemic year. And none of that is ideal during a pandemic.

Minnesota is seeing its worst COVID-19 numbers since coronavirus arrived in the state just in time for the winter holiday season, and just as state officials are clamping down on large events and social gatherings.

So, how do we handle family gatherings in the era of COVID? Should we cancel?

According to Dr. Jill Foster, director of the University of Minnesotas Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, the answer is: Probably yes. Cancel your plans.

Thats probably the wisest choice, she said. Its just the reality of what we know. Theres a study just out from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] that shows that if you have a room full of people and you put just one person in the room with COVID, then 53 percent of the people are likely to be infected.

But family traditions can be hard to give up, even for a year or two. Even if they were never much fun in the first place.

Thats because, said David Lipset, an anthropology professor at the University of Minnesota, winter holidays arent just turkey and political arguments.

Theyre part of an ancient ritual, a feast to bind together a family, a community, before winter comes before things get hungry. Thanksgiving, for one, has its own, more recent history, but humans have been doing this sort of thing for as long as humans have been on this earth. And we yearn for it.

If you cant return to people you see as part of yourself, then youre negating yourself, Lipset said. Youre negating who you are. Its not something thats acceptable to most people. You know, you cant cut an arm off.

That applies to most people even to Foster.She might be telling people, in her professional capacity, to skip Thanksgiving this year, but her own personal plans for marking the holiday look a lot more like they might in a normal year.

I have to admit that, for my Thanksgiving, my 86-year-old mother is flying here, she said. I talked to her about it and said, This might not be the best thing for you, and she said, If I dont fly to your place, Im going to take the train to Indianapolis to visit my boyfriend.

Fosters mother is an independent soul. She does what she wants and she wants a regular Thanksgiving this year. Foster figured a plane ride would be the lesser of two evils. Better air filtration. Less time exposed.

And thats the best most people can do, she said. At a time when everyday decisions can be fraught with risk and worry, planning for the holidays is no exception. Foster, Lipset and officials at the state Health Department offer some suggestions for how to frame your next family gathering.

The best-case, lowest-risk scenario is to stay home.

Dont plan for an in-person gathering. Schedule a video call or several.

Bonus: Theres less cooking and cleaning involved.

For a lot of people, being away from family at the holidays despite the option of connecting remotely is unfathomable.

There are still safe options available and theyre all outside.

Foster suggests families go for a long walk together or hang out in a park. If you do: Wear masks and dont eat together. Eating is risky, because its impossible to wear a mask.

But many holidays are often all about food and given the snowy, icy weather lately, its a good bet that most people arent looking forward to socializing outside, either.

Everyones situation is different. So If youre looking for a middle ground, Foster says, go small. Really small. The new rule from Gov. Tim Walz is no more than 10 people, from up to three households.

Foster says fewer than 10 is even better. Prune back the guest list and dont overthink it.

Like you know, theres that friend from high school that moved away that always comes back for Thanksgiving, she said. Tell them no this year.

And all the cousins coming home from their college dorm rooms Foster says: No. Stay in your bedroom. Dont mingle or breathe on your relatives.

The Minnesota Medical Association has released a statement begging people to follow CDC guidelines this holiday season: Wear masks, wash hands and keep any gathering short. Shorter gatherings pose less of a risk than daylong hang-outs.

The CDC has compiled an extensive list of considerations for hosts, guests and those hoping to be either.

But even with all the appropriate precautions, know that hosting a gathering inside with people from different households, however small is a fairly risky one, as the coronavirus rages across Minnesota at record levels.

Its hard to control the behavior of others especially family.

Sometimes you just walk into a bad situation. Maybe there are 20 people at Thanksgiving instead of 10. Or everyones crowded up in the kitchen, eating with their fingers. Nobodys wearing masks.

Unexpected curveballs will happen to lots of well-intentioned people, Foster said.

What to do?

Well, she said, you can leave if youre not comfortable with the setup. But if you decide to stay, wear your mask, and enjoy yourself, then shift to damage control.

So after [this] worst-case scenario, she said, especially if you get home and hear that Uncle Joe had COVID, you want to get a test. Three to five days is probably a good window.

Then quarantine for 14 days. Do what you can and be patient. The traditions arent dead, theyre just on hold.

Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at theHealth Department website.

The coronavirus is transmitted through respiratory droplets, coughs and sneezes, similar to the way the flu can spread.

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How to holiday: A guide to navigating Thanksgiving and COVID-19 - Minnesota Public Radio News