EDITORIAL: Plan Thanksgiving like no other

Published 9:34 am Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Thanksgiving Day is just a few days away.

Putting your family first this Thanksgiving may mean staying apart. 

Foregoing large family holiday gatherings for just one year is the wise thing to do in the middle of a global pandemic. 

Not only does COVID-19 not take a holiday, it is surging during this holiday season. 

Not only is COVID-19 still with us, it is getting worse and worse day by day, with cases, hospitalizations and deaths all on the rise. 

Vaccines are coming. 

We can all wait for family gatherings. 

Health experts across the nation are cautioning families to avoid traditional gatherings. 

Some of you will listen and heed the warnings.

Some will not. 

Consider having a nice Thanksgiving meal with your immediate family that lives under the same roof, and then FaceTime or Zoom with your extended, remote, family. 

We know you all have COVID fatigue, and you just want things to get back to normal but we remind you things are not normal — not yet — and we must all be vigilant a bit longer. 

Even beyond Thanksgiving, this is no time to relax our health care precautions. 

It is time to double down and renew our efforts to stop the spread of this dangerous virus by social distancing, avoiding gatherings, working remotely when possible, washing hands frequently, using approved hand sanitizer and, yes, wearing protective masks.