Family battles over COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the menu in NYC this Thanksgiving (opinion) – silive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. It used to be that the main things we talked about at Thanksgiving time were which family member would host dinner and what side-dishes or desserts everyone would bring.

But now theres a new question for guests: Are you vaccinated?

As if Americans didnt have enough to argue about around the holiday dinner table.

As families gather for Thanksgiving, unvaccinated loved ones may not be welcome at the meal. Or the unvaccinated may be told that they have to present a negative COVID test in order to attend.

And there could be good reason. There could be elderly family members present who are at greater risk from the virus. Others at dinner could have health conditions that make them more vulnerable.

Theres any number of ways these conversations could go in different families.

Of course, the vaccinated can still get COVID and spread the virus. They might not even know that theyre sick. So a vaccine card is no guarantee of anything.

For other hosts, even a negative test might not be enough. They might demand that all their guests be vaccinated. Forget a negative test. Forget your positive antibody results. Just get the jab and you can sit at my table. Or you can sit outside on the deck with the dog, if you like.

Some of those unvaccinated folks may decide to take a pass on Thanksgiving with the family this year and will look forward to the day when they can again gather with loved ones without jumping through any COVID hoops.

It has consequences on both sides of the vaccine fight.

Those who are unvaccinated may not be able to gather with loved ones. But those loved ones may also be deprived of the company of some of their family members and friends.

And some of those unvaccinated people may have partners or spouses who are vaccinated, putting those partners in the position of supporting their unvaccinated loved one or going to the family dinner or holiday party without them. Kids may get caught in the crossfire.

And this vaccine battle has become a seething catch-all for everything else that we like to argue about in this country: Politics. Religion. Personal freedom. Forget setting a timer for the turkey. Set a timer to see how long it takes someone to mention Donald Trump or Dr. Anthony Fauci at dinner.

The hard feelings could continue well past the holidays and even past the pandemic:

You didnt want my company then, you cant have it now.

You didnt comply with the vaccine mandate, I cant respect you anymore.

Still, we do have things to be thankful for this year.

COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths havent reached the sky-high levels that they did during the worst days of the pandemic. And hopefully the numbers wont rise to those levels, given the availability of vaccines, therapeutics and the fact that recovered COVID sufferers can count on at least some antibody protection.

Sure, the vaccine efficacy fades. So does natural immunity, eventually. But were not in lockdown. Businesses are open. Fans are allowed at sporting events again.

The White House the other day said that it was unlikely that the country would be put into lockdown again or that the economy would again be shuttered.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that vaccine mandates for domestic flights would likely be unnecessary because masking and other measures are doing the trick.

Yes, gas prices are too high. And were paying too much for food in the supermarket. Heating costs are going up. The folks in Washington, starting with President Joe Biden, are going to have to start figuring this stuff out.

But lets try to be thankful today. Things have been worse.

See the original post here:

Family battles over COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the menu in NYC this Thanksgiving (opinion) - silive.com