How Georgians can have a safer Thanksgiving
ATLANTA - Health officials warn Georgians to keep the numbers down for Thanksgiving dinner and wear masks whenever possible.
"We are very cognizant of how important, culturally Thanksgiving is to Americans," Dr. Lynn Paxton, director of the Fulton County Board of Health commented.
As Georgians prepare for the Thanksgiving Holiday, which normally focuses on family and food, health officials want to make drastic changes for this year's celebration as the number of COVID-19 cases explodes across the nation.
"Limit your meal to people you are already interacting with on a daily basis," Dr. Paxton suggested.
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Dr. Paxton advises families to keep dinner guests under 10 people and to eat outdoors if possible. The temperature is expected to be 70 degrees Thursday, use a fire pit if it gets colder, wear a mask, and maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet.
Dr. Paxton said those with grandparents or a favorite aunt or uncle out of town, take a new virtual approach to “turkey day.”
"You want to celebrate with grandma but you don't want to expose her. We're fixing them a plate. We will deliver the plates to these people. And we can have zoom calls and still eat together. Eat together over zoom calls," Dr. Paxton suggested.
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Health officials want hosts to select one person to serve all the food this year and limit sharing utensils, it is all in an effort to prevent community spread and keep Georgians safe.
"Pandemic fatigue is a real thing. People are tired of it. They are tired of doing all the social distancing. They are tired of wearing a mask. But I remind people, you might be tired of the virus, but the virus is not tired of you," Dr. Paxton concluded.
Dr. Paxton said if households keep the numbers down for Thanksgiving and Christmas, there is some good news around the corner, with vaccine research.
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