What students can do for Thanksgiving: Advice from CDC, Ohio State

Jack Long
Sat, 21 Nov 2020 01:00:32 +0000
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ohio State provide guidance for students to stop the spread of COVID-19 over Thanksgiving break. (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

With six days to go until Turkey Day, here’s what students can do to slow the spread of COVID-19:

Rethink attending or traveling to Thanksgiving?

The safest option is to attend Thanksgiving virtually with family and friends who don’t live in your house, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s holiday guidance put out Thursday.?

Or, students can have Thanksgiving with those they have lived with for the previous 14 days. Each in-person attendee should have self-quarantined for 14 days leading up to the holiday.

“If people have not been actively living with you for the 14 days before you’re celebrating, they’re not considered a member of your household,” Erin Sauber-Schatz, who oversees the CDC’s transportation safety research, said at a Thursday press conference. “Therefore you need to take those extra precautions, even wearing masks within your own home.”

Any in-person Thanksgiving gathering should be held outside if possible and each person should wear a mask, wash hands frequently and maintain a physical distance of 6 feet. The CDC also recommends using disposable cutlery and dishes. If people outside of a student’s household are attending, each person should bring their own food and drink.

Before any in-person event, the CDC said to consider the severity of COVID-19 in places people are travelling to and from. On Thursday, Franklin County turned “purple,” signifying the highest severity for exposure and spread of COVID-19 in Ohio.

According to the CDC guidance, longer gatherings pose greater risks than shorter ones. Keep in-person activities brief.

Ohio State began to encourage students Sunday to get tested before Thanksgiving and then quarantine to reduce the possibility of spreading COVID-19 to family members. In an email to students, University President Kristina M. Johnson said household transmission and large gatherings are two of the leading causes for COVID-19 spread.

“Once you receive a negative test and your classes are available by virtual or hybrid instruction mode, we strongly urge you to leave campus for winter break,” Johnson said. “We are asking for your help to de-densify our campuses in order to slow the spread of the virus.”

The CDC recommends students travelling home for winter break to self-quarantine for 14 days and wear masks whenever around their family. After 14 days, they can be considered part of the household and no longer need to self-quarantine. If students are staying for shorter visits, they should self-quarantine, use a different bathroom than family members, if possible, and wear a face covering when around their family.

“If you know you were in riskier situations on campus, and especially if you have higher-risk loved ones at home, consider a 14-day self-quarantine in a room by yourself if that is possible,” Amy Fairchild, dean of the College of Public Health, said in an email sent to students Monday. “Wait 14 days to visit extended family who are vulnerable to the virus, including grandparents.”

Other safer alternatives than in-person Thanksgiving

Besides sharing a meal virtually, students can take time to write down what they’re grateful for and share their lists with friends and family, the CDC recommends.

The CDC also said people could share events together virtually, such as watching football games, parades or movies together.?

Returning after Thanksgiving

Students who are coming back to the campus area are recommended to self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival, but the university recommends those who leave for Thanksgiving stay with their families during winter break, Fairchild said in a statement.?

“I’d encourage those in our Ohio State community thinking about traveling only for the holiday and then returning to Columbus to seriously consider celebrating at home, or postponing a larger family celebration until a safer time,” Fairchild said in a statement.