As Thanksgiving approaches, Americans are deciding how to celebrate and who to do it with as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the country. An estimated one in six Texans have contracted COVID-19.
The CDC is strongly advising against travel and to not spend the holiday with people outside your household. AAA Travel estimates fewer than 50 million Americans will choose to go elsewhere for Thanksgiving this year. Many families are taking a "wait and see" approach.
What should you know about the risks associated with traveling and meeting with loved ones in person? What factors should be considered in decision-making and planning ahead of the holiday? What can you do to reduce the risk of transmission?
Other families are planning virtual Thanksgiving celebrations. How can you improve the quality of your gathering online or with just the members of your household? What are some ways to make holidays special in 2020?
What are some strategies for navigating family members' differences in opinion about appropriate virus precautions or disputes over politics and culture wars? How can individuals and families combat loneliness and pandemic fatigue over the holidays?
Guests:
- Lisa Lee, Ph.D., epidemiologist, bioethicist and associate vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech
- Priya Parker, author of "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters" and host of the New York Times podcast "Together Apart"
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*This interview was recorded on Monday, November 23.