CDC Recommends Guidelines For Safer Thanksgiving [POLL]

NEW YORK — There may be a lot less of "over the river and through the woods" this year for Thanksgiving because of the ongoing new coronavirus pandemic.

If you are planning on having friends or family come from out of state, there are 39 states plus Guam and Puerto Rico that are on New York's restricted list as of Tuesday. Anyone coming from those must quarantine for two weeks once they've arrived in New York.

Showing up at grandma's house — or even your favorite aunt or uncle's — will likely require some planning. That is, if you adhere to the guidelines for Thanksgiving from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Thanksgiving is a time when many families travel long distances to celebrate together," the agency said. "Travel increases the chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others."

The centers' medical professionals said the lower-risk activities include having a small dinner with only people who live in your home or having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family.

Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community is a moderate-risk activity. Probably, the CDC wasn't considering how chilly an outdoor dinner can be in New York at Thanksgiving.

Higher-risk activities include attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside your household, the CDC advised. And that wine with dinner? Using alcohol or drugs which can cloud judgment and increase risky behavior is also under the higher-risk category.

So what's a family to do on the national holiday of Thanksgiving?

According to licensed family therapist Ashleigh Edelstein, you — as the host and/or organizer of Thanksgiving dinner — need to decide what you are comfortable with. You have the right to ask people to quarantine before the big meal and ask they wear masks up until the meal is served.

She told Better Homes & Gardens that it was important to lay out the ground rules and boundaries, preferably in person, by phone or in writing (email or text), including your rationale, which can be backed up by the CDC.

If you will be doing the traveling, and you have agreed to your host's ground rules, you should realize that the CDC said that staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from the new coronavirus.

There's a lot of advice on the CDC's "Know Your Travel Risk" website, but the lowest risk besides staying home is short car trips with members of your household with no stops along the way.

So now it's your turn to weigh in on Thanksgiving. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us why in the comments.