The holidays will look different this year, and medical professionals recommend not spending them with those who do not live in your household.
With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, the risk of catching the virus can be high at a thanksgiving family gathering. Some doctors are calling it a "super spreader event."
Doctors encourage low-risk holiday activities, such as having a small dinner with only people who live in your house or preparing a traditional family recipe for neighbors and dropping it off without contact.
"It's totally understandable that you would want to have Thanksgiving with family members you don't geographically live with, but again, those family members could have potentially been around other people who may or may not have symptoms. Who may or may not be contagious and then potentially bringing that into a family member's household who has not been exposed yet," St. Luke's Health System Medical Director for Urgent Care Dr. Martha Taylor said.
Another tip is to have a virtual thanksgiving and spend the holiday eating dinner with your extended family in a virtual setting.
"It's difficult to think long-term when you have something that is a very traditional family-oriented such as Thanksgiving, but if there's any way to celebrate creatively to keep your physical distance, that would really help the community at large at hopefully staunch the spread," Taylor said.
Some moderate risk activities include having a small outdoor dinner with friends and family who live in the same community or visiting a pumpkin patch while following social distancing and mask guidelines.
Avoid high-risk activities such as shopping in large crowds or attending large gatherings for the holidays.
Visit the CDC's holiday guidelines for more ways to keep yourself and your family safe this holiday season.
