Thanksgiving this year will not be normal thanks to COVID-19. Families right now are dealing with the situation of what is best for their loved ones, and they are doing what they can to keep them safe. 

       Jerry Beth, who is a flight attendant, says that flying during the holidays is not a good idea and the airport is packed all the time with other families who are trying to catch their flights.

       “The best thing to do is run around with people that you have been hanging out with at the start of COVID,” said Beth. “We’ve been running around with three other couples. We all live up here, so we’re not far away from each other. The activities that we are doing are safe and socially distant from each other.” 

       COVID has affected a lot this year, and has changed the reunions side of things. All families had something originally planned for Thanksgiving but times have changed due to the virus. 

       “Our original plan has kinda changed. Last year there were more people and we did a lot more activities that would involve more contact,” Beth said. “Things like those are what I definitely miss from when COVID wasn’t around.” 

       Thanksgiving has changed plans dramatically for those who planned to go see other family and friends.

       “Our original plan was to go to a wedding in Indiana, but now we’re stuck with our neighbors. Since we have been around them a lot since COVID started, it’s the only reasonable choice to make,” Allison Barker, a teacher at West Jefferson Middle School, said. “Something special we like to do for Thanksgiving is either do football or a thankful jar, where you put in pieces of paper of what you’re thankful for.”

       Thanksgiving during COVID will be a tough time, but if families keep it safe and secure they can stop the spread of the virus. If everyone sticks to the rule of social distancing we can still do the holidays with other friends and families. 

       “I think this year will be tricky and chaotic, especially Christmas, but this year is dangerous,” Barker said. “If everyone can keep a safe distance, we won’t have the risk of who gets it.”