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Mid-Ohio Valley families still gathering for Thanksgiving despite pandemic

PARKERSBURG — While the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving during the COVID-19 pandemic is staying home or going virtual, some area residents planned to gather with family today while still taking steps to stay safe.

Vienna resident Melissa Wise said she’ll be gathering with her mother who lives down the street as well as her brothers, who live in three different states.

Wise said she’s been monitoring CDC guidelines on how to stay safe when gathering.

“We’re going to try to space out in the house to be able to be together,” she said.

In a news release last week, the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department acknowledged the importance of spending time with family but asked people to take precautions, including wearing a mask while not eating, washing hands frequently and wiping down surfaces.

Wise said her family doesn’t plan on wearing masks unless someone has symptoms of the virus.

“And if they’re that sick, they’re not coming anyway,” she said.

Wise said she and her family take the virus seriously, but this is one of the only times they get together.

“There’s not really an end in sight (for the pandemic), so you’re indefinitely putting off seeing your family until whenever,” she said.

Everybody has to do what’s best for their family, Wise said, and “this is what’s best for ours.”

Parkersburg resident Nicki Hardman said a group of about 10 people, immediate family and their spouses, planned to get together at her parents’ house today.

“Nothing changed. That’s the way we do it every year,” she said. “We don’t get together that much as a family. I don’t think we want to give up that time together.”

That could change if someone starts to feel sick, Hardman said. The potential effect on her mother, if she were to contract the virus, is “always in the back of my mind, of course,” she said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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With COVID-19 cases increasing around the country, the CDC says celebrating Thanksgiving at home with the people you live with or virtually are the safest ways to mark the holiday. But for people who do gather, the agency offers the following recommendations:

* Wear a mask and safely store it while eating and drinking.

* Stay at least 6 feet away (about two arm lengths) from others who do not live with you. People without symptoms may be able to spread COVID-19 or the flu.

* Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

* Use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol when unable to wash your hands.

* Bring your own food, drinks, plates, cups and utensils.

* If sharing food, have one person serve food and use single-use options, like salad dressing and condiment packets, and disposable items like food containers, plates, and utensils.

* Avoid going in and out of the areas where food is being prepared or handled, such as in the kitchen.

* Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items between uses.

* If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. Use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.

* Consider a small outdoor meal with family and friends who live in your community.

* Safely prepare traditional dishes and deliver them to family and neighbors in a way that does not involve contact with others (for example, leave them on the porch).

Source: cdc.gov

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