North Country urged to follow CDC Thanksgiving guidelines

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) — A holiday of gathering is only days away, but this year many are recommended to stay home.

The United State Centers for Disease Control and Protection is urging Americans to stay home and limit gatherings this Thanksgiving. However, for those who plan on celebrated, the CDC has released guidelines illustrating COVID-19 risks.

The CDC organized specific risks for traditional Thanksgiving activities and events into categories; lower, moderate and high when considering spreading and contracting the coronavirus.

CDC COVID-19 guidelines for Thanksgiving include the following.

Lower risk activities

• Holding a small dinner with people from the same household
• Preparing traditional family recipes and delivering them to friends and family without contact
• Having a virtual dinner
• Shopping online
• Watching sports events, parades and movies from home

Moderate risk activities

• Holding a small outdoor dinner with friends and family who live in the same community
• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where hand sanitizer is used, mask wearing is encouraged or enforces and people are able to maintain social distancing
• Attending small outdoor sports events with safety precautions in place

Higher risk activities

• Shopping in crowded stores before, on or after Thanksgiving
• Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race
• Attending crowded parades
• Attending large indoor gatherings with people from different households
• Using alcohol or drugs that may alter judgement or make it more difficult to practice COVID-19 safety measure.

To learn more about COVID-19 in the North Country, New York and Nationwide, visit ABC50’s Coronavirus page.