A typical Thanksgiving is sharing a large meal with your whole family. This year might look a bit different from past years due to COVID-19. With many people gathered together, there are higher risks of spreading the virus. There are precautions you can take in order to reduce the risk of you or your family contracting the virus and to keep everyone safe and healthy.  

     At a typical Thanksgiving dinner, you plan to have as many family members as possible at the table . This year, on the other hand, you may want to try to reduce the amount of traveling and people involved. If you or your family are traveling to get to Thanksgiving dinner, there are many possibilities of contracting the virus along the way and then spreading it at Thanksgiving dinner. If many people are at the dinner, there are higher chances of contracting the virus yourself. 

     You can try to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to help everyone. The Center of Disease Control recommends you take precautions to reduce the risk: gather with your far-away-family virtually, and make a plan to FaceTime at a certain time; try to limit the size of your party, as keeping low numbers of people in one place can help reduce the risk of contracting the virus;  if possible, host your dinner outside rather than in a poorly ventilated indoor area. If your dinner party will be held inside, socially distance as much as possible, increase the ventilation in the house by opening windows, encourage people to wash their hands adequately, limit contact with people, and provide your guests with information about the coronavirus. 

     When serving food, there are several precautions that should be taken. If possible, encourage guests to bring their own food and drinks. If not possible, have one person serving food. This will help limit several people touching serving utensils. Try to use single-use utensils and plates that can be thrown away after use. Designate an area where people can wash their hands before and after the meal. Plan to use a no-touch trash can, such as one you push open with your feet. Wash the dishes thoroughly after the gathering. 

     There are some things you can do to keep the holiday spirit going and be thankful. You can prepare a meal for family or neighbors at higher risk and deliver the meal in a way that requires no contact. Have a virtual dinner and share your family recipes with family and friends. Zoom will be lifting their 40 minute limit on Thanksgiving so make sure to take advantage of this! Shop online for Black Friday rather than in stores. Watch sports and the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV from home.

     We wanted to know what some of our own Hellgate Knights were doing for Thanksgiving this year. Sophomore Alden Hellem said, “We are going to stay home and just have dinner with the four of us… my brother, mom, dad, and I”. Flint Miller, a junior at Hellgate, said his family is “going to Coeur d’Alene” for the holiday. 

     If you end up contracting the virus, even after taking several precautions, make sure that you quarantine for 10-14 days to ensure other people’s safety and well-being. Even though Thanksgiving this year is not ideal compared to past years, at least it is not canceled and we are still able to enjoy a delicious dinner with our family members and be grateful. Being thankful is what Thanksgiving is all about anyways. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!