Many parents want to celebrate Thanksgiving with others despite the risk
26 November, 2020
A new poll has found that parents are weighing up the potential risks and benefits of celebrating Thanksgiving with extended family during the pandemic, and deciding that keeping up with tradition may be worth the risk.
A new poll has found that parents are weighing up the dangers of celebrating Thanksgiving during the pandemic against the potential benefits of allowing children to see extended family.
Many parents, the results suggest, may opt to attend family gatherings despite the risks.
The report, published by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, also offers advice to parents on how to go about Thanksgiving as safely as possible.
Close contact transmission
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), SARS-CoV-2 spreads mainly through close contact with a person who has contracted the virus.
In these situations, the virus can spread if people touch each other — for example, through a handshake or a hug.
It can also transmit when a person with a SARS-CoV-2 infection coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings.
Here, what projects the virus from a person’s respiratory tract — the main part of the human body that the virus infects — is liquid droplets, which can then be breathed in by another person.
Large droplets that carry the virus quickly fall to the ground. However, scientists believe that the virus can also transmit via very small droplets known as aerosols.
Aerosols can float in the air, potentially significantly expanding the distance over which the virus can transmit to another person.
Considering these modes of transmission, the CDC recommends that people regularly wash their hands, maintain distance between themselves and other people, and wear a face mask, particularly when indoors and in places with poor ventilation.
These measures are especially important given that scientists have found that people can become infected with the virus and show few, if any, symptoms, which significantly increases the risk of them unwittingly passing the virus on to another person.
Compliance
While these measures may sometimes seem difficult to follow, more often than not, people appear to be complying with them. For example, an observational study found that over 90% of shoppers in the United States wore masks as mandated in late July and August.
However, according to the Mott Poll Report, significant holidays, such as Thanksgiving, are making extended families more willing to meet in person. This is despite an awareness that meeting in person may pose risks, particularly for older family members or those with underlying health conditions, who are especially vulnerable to the virus.
According to Sarah Clark, Mott Poll co-director, “As COVID-19 cases spike, many families are struggling with whether and how to continue their holiday traditions while balancing risks and benefits.”
“For many parents, holidays mean sharing special rituals across different generations and opportunities for children to connect with grandparents, cousins, and other relatives,” she adds.
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com
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