COVID has changed many things for college kids.
But it hasn’t changed the draw of going home for Thanksgiving.
“I need the break, it’s been a hard semester,” said one student.
“I’m very excited for it,” said Nick Parisi, a freshman at Stonehill College.
He’s counting down the days to the turkey and stuffing.
“November 25, last day- so yay,” said Nick.
Nick’s parents, Tom and Deb Parisi are excited about his return too.
But they know they have to tweak their tradition.
“We do the turkey, the Italian ravioli, the lasagna, meatballs…but it will be different,” said Deb.
“We’ve always had family get-togethers being Italian and Polish”, said Tom.
Instead of the customary dinner at an uncle’s house – they’ll have an intimate meal at their Georgetown home.
“It will be just the four of us,” said Deb.
“Yeah, no one from outside will be here,” said Tom
RELATED: CDC releases lengthy list of Thanksgiving guidelines as coronavirus cases surge
For Abbey Siegel just getting to the table is a big concern.
The Cornell sophomore is flying from New York to her home in Miami.
She plans to wear two masks on the plane and wipe down her seat with a disinfectant.
“I’m definitely taking all the precautions possible so that I won’t catch it on the plane or bring it home to my family,” said Abbey.
Her parents are taking extra steps too – moving their feast outdoors.
“It’s not going to be the same but we carry on – carry on the traditions that we have established over the years. And if we need to Facetime my mother with help making pie crust we will,” said Jackie Siegel.
Even in New England where the air is cooler – outdoors is best.
If you’re gathering inside open lots of windows and doors.
As for COVID testing, Nick gets it done at school. So does Abbey. But, doctors say families shouldn’t let negative results give them a false feeling of safety.
“If you get tested, it means you don’t have COVID at that moment…so you do have to be very cognizant that, from the time you get that test until the time you hug your family, you still could be incubating the virus,” said Dr. Shira Doron of Tufts Medical Center.
Doron says students need to start taking steps now – two weeks out – to protect their families at the Thanksgiving table.
“Students should be very careful in the two weeks leading up to travel… whether that’s to have the student quarantine for some period of time…there are a lot of things like that that you can do to add additional layers of protection- none of them are perfect.”
Other important steps to keep everyone safe as you celebrate:
- Wear masks when you’re not eating
- Be sure to social distance even when you’re hosting family members
- Instead of passing around heaping platters – try to cook individual portions when possible.
“You do what you have to do to keep everyone safe,” said Deb Parisi.
For more information on celebrating Thanksgiving safely, go to the CDC’s website.
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