| As the coronavirus pandemic rages, I’ve been wondering if there’s any truly safe and responsible way to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones, and I couldn’t find any guidance that I found satisfying. |
| So for my own planning purposes, I wanted to find out what the people who really know what they’re talking about — the epidemiologists, the vaccine experts, the members of President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force — thought should happen on the holiday. |
| I turned to four medical experts who’ve written Op-Eds about the various aspects of the pandemic and asked what exactly they and their families were planning. They were generously open, sharing the science that shaped their decisions and advice to those still weighing the risks and benefits of a more traditional Thanksgiving. |
| The big takeaway is that none of them plan to gather indoors with people outside of their households. But they also shared some other tips I thought were smart and thoughtful: |
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| I particularly liked the epidemiologist Michael Osterholm’s plans: “I will call a number of people in my life to whom I owe so much. I will thank them for their love and kindness and remind them that I’m so very glad they were born.” |
| I think that’s a beautiful tradition and I plan to embrace it. |
| The roundup of advice is packed with vital information about how the virus spreads and how inadequate testing is, but it’s also a reminder that Thanksgiving isn’t about breathing each other’s air indoors — it’s about emotional closeness and gratitude for each other. Maybe I shouldn’t have had to speak to four medical experts to figure that out, but I appreciated the reminder. |
Emilia
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