Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away and all of us would like nothing better than to celebrate with our families without the need to worry about COVID-19. Unfortunately, over the last several weeks we have seen some record breaking case numbers both nationally and locally and our hospitals are getting closer to full capacity (remember, if you haven't received a flu vaccine, we strongly recommend you do so). For these reasons it is still important that we follow precautions to keep ourselves and our families safe.

So what can we do? The CDC and the AAP have released recommendations (CDC recommendations and HealthyChildren recommendations) on how to celebrate Thanksgiving while also taking precautions and being safe. They recommend celebrating Thanksgiving with your household group only and "virtually" celebrating with friends and loved ones to limit potential COVID-19 exposure. Consider sharing recipes that your household and your loved ones can "share" together virtually!

For some of us, celebrating virtually will be difficult to follow, especially with such an eventful and unprecedented year! If you do meet with friends and family (remember, meeting virtually is best), consider following some precautions to minimize everyone's risk. These can include celebrating outdoors (weather permitting), celebrating with a small group of people who have all followed CDC recommendations, requiring that everyone wear masks when not eating/drinking, limiting the time spent together, and only meeting in large, well ventilated rooms.

Although the CDC has the following statement:

"Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or eating is associated with directly spreading COVID-19."

They still recommend limiting the number of people preparing food for a gathering and limiting the number of non-food preparers who come into the kitchen. To limit multiple people touching serving utensils and dishes, consider having a designated person for "serving" food to others (vs passing food around the table). Another reasonable option is to have each family group bring their own food and beverage.

If you are hosting a gathering make sure to have extra masks and an area for mask storage while eating. Have hand sanitizer placed around the house and encourage your guests to wash their hands frequently.

2020 will certainly go down as an historically unusual year! And with a few reasonable precautions, we can all still give thanks for all of the blessings we do have, including our families, friends, and our wonderful community!

The Children's Clinic of Conway and Greenbrier