What the locals are doing as officials, please cancel Thanksgiving • Long Beach Post News

Good news: Tips for managing this year’s Thanksgiving don’t include ways to fend off political conversations with relatives. The big question this year is whether to have Thanksgiving.

This leads to bad news: many people are giving the wrong answer, according to health officials.

An estimated two in five people nationwide plan to host or attend a holiday feast with at least ten people, one-third saying they don’t require guests to wear masks. Recent survey According to Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University.

Locally, authorities are very aware that there is little that can be done with enforcement methods for private meetings. This is likely due to health officials over the weeks. Rapid increase in COVID-19 cases.. On the other hand, companies Is throttled With new restrictions announced last week, the county is considering a curfew for unnecessary workers if the number of cases continues to proliferate.

The biggest weapon the authorities have in the fight against the rally is pressure from their peers, which is not working well.

“There is this feeling of being safe because we know these people,” said Kelly Coropy, director of health at the city. Live chat In last week’s post. “But you don’t know.”

Perhaps the most compelling claim this year at a small cost was his mother and stepfather, Mayor Robert Garcia. Died of COVID-19 every 2 weeks In late July and early August, respectively.

“If you really love your grandparents, your dad and your mom, this year is the year you don’t see them because of the holidays,” he said.

Health agencies across the country are trying everything to beg, sue, embarrassment, and talk to people as if they were at home (and Governor Gavin Newsom’s). Appearance at a birthday party It didn’t help last week).

Fear is probably the most effective remedy, and for that reason there is something useful here Risk assessment tool Based on the case rate you live in. In Los Angeles County, if you attend an event of 25 people, there is a 30% chance that you will have at least one COVID-19 positive person. The percentage decreases as fewer people attend, but it does not disappear completely.

The· Official guidance According to local and local health authorities, rallies should be limited to 3 households or less (less than 15 people in total), held outdoors, limited to 2 hours, 6 feet apart, and requiring everyone to wear face covers. To do.

They say the best precaution is to cancel the rally altogether. (If your family needs advice on how to break it, Here is the guide.. )

We had this conversation with our relatives and talked to some people on Long Beach who were pondering this decision.

“Not the best way”

Ulysses Maldonado, 20, is trying to convince his mother to continue Thanksgiving only to his family of four, including his sister (18) and brother (22).

His mom went on as usual and said he wanted to invite the family of his two sisters, less than a mile away, to a meal in a large living room near Washington.

“That’s not the best thing at the moment,” he said.

What does Maldonado do to protect himself if his mother moves forward?

“In reality, there’s probably nothing. There’s not much I can do. I can’t go anywhere.”

“Greater good”

32-year-old Ivan Rodriguez plans to pick up a turkey from his mother’s house on Thanksgiving, go home and spend the day with a virtual company playing FIFA 21 and Call of Duty on Xbox.

On a typical Thanksgiving, he would have spent a day at a riverside home with a family of at least 12 people.

“I don’t really care about that,” said a Westlong Beach resident, adding that he hopes the vaccine will be available next year. “I think it would be of greater benefit to hear from experts about keeping us all at home, maintaining quarantine and not endangering ourselves if we don’t need it.

“If that means I’m at home and playing video games, it’s the only sacrifice I have to make, well, yes.”

Support local restaurants

44-year-old Hana Kim orders a tray of Lumpia (egg rolls), pancit (noodles), and grilled macaroni from Jemae’s bakery shop to support her local Long Beach business at this year’s Thanksgiving. For dessert, she, her husband, and a 70-year-old mother order pecan pie and brioche from a scratch bakery.

A typical Thanksgiving is a takeaway or a visit to a family in Los Angeles or Chino. However, because her mother is a vulnerable age, they have all been quarantined in East Long Beach homes since last spring.

“You’re used to it, but it’s still terrible,” Kim said, adding that he’s been in virtual contact with his relatives this year. “As time goes on, your circle begins to shrink.”

After her colleague’s husband died of COVID-19 earlier this year, she said she took social distance very seriously. The deceased husband was a doctor who also infected his surviving son with the virus.

Still undecided

Millie La Lo, 42, said planning vacations was difficult due to her mother’s underlying health problems and her grandmother’s aging.

“Coming from a very close family, we usually greet in a hug and say goodbye,” said La Lo, who works as an elderly caretaker.

This year’s hug is out of the question, at least for her grandmother, but “depending on my mother’s condition, it may still be the case to get together,” she said.

It is still unclear what the gathering will look like. Imagine entering the house, going through a spray of resor and going directly to the bathroom to wash her hands.

The idea of ​​not seeing a family on vacation made La Lo emotional. Her mother suffers from undiagnosed medical problems and recently passed on her turkey recipe to her and her siblings.

“When the push comes in, I’ll cut the turkey at my brother’s house and bring my mom,” she said in a quivering voice. “It’s up to us to carry on her tradition.”

Response from social media

This story was written and reported by Melissa Evans, Crystal Nibra and Arena Masque.