CDC's Thanksgiving Demands Would Turn the Holiday Into a Depressing and Isolating Event
For many, the holidays are a time to meet with family and friends to share food, stories and laughter.
Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic still burning around the globe and here at home in the United States, not everyone can celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving like they did in the past.
While some people may turn to common sense methods of health and safety, like handwashing and monitoring for symptoms, the government is now attempting to step in with its own recommendations for holiday celebrations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several steps could help protect you, your family and your friends, but seemingly at the cost of a normal celebration.
For one thing, the agency urges Americans to consider hosting a “virtual Thanksgiving,” meaning that children and adults who have lived and worked virtually over the past year would have the same pixelated and distant connection to the holiday as they do to their classrooms and offices.
Although the CDC claims that the “safest” way to celebrate Thanksgiving is with people who live in your household, the agency lists even more guidelines to follow should you opt for a more traditional holiday.
While these demands may reduce your chance of catching the coronavirus, the rules also turn a lively and fun holiday into a depressing and isolating event.
The CDC naturally recommends people wear a mask if they choose to celebrate together. Just a regular mask won’t cut it, either.
“Wear a mask with two or more layers to help protect yourself and others from COVID-19,” the CDC advises.
Even if you’re masked up, don’t expect to chow down on Aunt Kathy’s brown sugar-glazed green bean bundles.
Under the CDC’s guidelines, revelers should expect to bring their own “food, drinks, plates, cups, and utensils” in an effort to combat COVID-19. Luckily, eating your bag lunch is one of the few times the CDC approves of mask removal around others.
Environmental consciousness appears to have been thrown out with the advent of the novel coronavirus as well.
Whereas before, a wave of American cities seemed primed to ban single-use plastics, now a government agency is outright advocating for disposable plastics and single-serve food items.
“Use single-use options,” the CDC recommends, “like salad dressing and condiment packets, and disposable items like food containers, plates, and utensils.”
When it comes to a post-Thanksgiving ritual that many families have, shopping, it appears that the CDC adopts a more lenient stance.
Although the agency recommends shopping online, it does not outright prohibit or discourage shoppers from visiting “open air markets,” with the caveat that people maintain social distancing.
While many Americans will follow these recommendations, there are millions more who plan to host a traditional Thanksgiving meal, free from the fear and politicization that surrounds COVID-19.
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