How to Cancel Thanksgiving With Minimal Family Drama
With Thanksgiving just eight days away, families across the U.S. are having difficult conversations about how to handle the holiday amid a worsening pandemic. Public-health officials are urging people to forego the usual big in-person gatherings to avoid spreading COVID-19, but not everybody is on the same page about the inherent risks—nearly 40% of Americans still plan to spend Thanksgiving with more than 10 people, according to a recent Ohio State University survey.
So how do you convince a stubborn family member that canceling or otherwise rethinking Thanksgiving is the right thing to do? My colleague Belinda Luscombe, who recently canceled her out-of-state Turkey Day plans in favor of celebrating at home with those already in her household, canvassed social workers, therapists and psychologists for tips.
First, have the conversation as soon as possible—both to give hosts time to come to terms with your decision, and so they can avoid buying a turkey meant to feed 15 people. Furthermore, don't assault family members with facts and data like caseload analyses and infection risks—that may only invite arguments. If you express your concern for other family members instead, there’s a better chance that your point will get across.
Also, try to be curious instead of judgmental. Listening to others' concerns and beliefs may reveal what's most important to that person, giving you potentially helpful insight. "If you know your real objective is to minimize the spread of COVID-19, and your brother’s is to maximize family togetherness, you can look for solutions that do at least some of both," says Daniel Ames, a social psychologist. That might mean doing things differently this year—like getting together on Zoom—so you can be together next year.
Thinking creatively this year could spur new ways of celebrating, and those tweaks won’t necessarily be letdowns. “I was quite inspired by the idea of the virtual Thanksgiving,” Belinda says, “so I will try to arrange to get something delivered to my son in Australia and see if he can eat with us, even though it will be like four in the morning for him.”
More than 55.6 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 1.3 million people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Nov. 17, there were 610,216 new cases and 11,115 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here is every country with over 800,000 confirmed cases:
Sweden, infamous for its previously lax stance toward coronavirus restrictions, is reversing course amid a rise in infections, with officials imposing the country’s most stringent rules yet. Starting next week, public gatherings of more than eight people will be banned, while the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and visits to elderly care homes are also off the table. “It is a clear and sharp signal to every person in our country as to what applies in the future,” Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said, the New York Times reports. “Don’t go to the gym, don’t go [to] the library, don’t have dinner out, don’t have parties—cancel!” Sweden has reported more than 192,000 cases and 6,225 deaths, far more than its neighbors Finland and Norway.
Elsewhere in Europe, all of Switzerland's 876 intensive care beds are now full, according to a statement released yesterday by the Swiss Society for Intensive Care Medicine. After easily weathering the first wave of coronavirus, Switzerland dropped many of its restrictions and still maintains some of the loosest measures in Europe, Foreign Policyreports. But the small country now leads Europe in terms of infections per million people, at about 646 over a rolling weeklong average.
Some 10,000 maskless coronavirus deniers and right-wing extremists took to the streets in Berlin today over the government's response to the pandemic, the New York Timesreports; German police used water cannons to disperse the crowds. The protest took place as lawmakers passed legislation to strengthen Germany’s efforts to contain the virus.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 11.3 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 248,600 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Nov. 17, there were 161,934 new cases and 1,707 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
More complete data released today by pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and German biotech company BioNTech show their COVID-19 vaccine candidate is 95% effective overall, and very effective across age groups and other demographics. Pfizer plans to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency authorization in the next few days; if granted, its vaccine would become the first based on mRNA technology to be approved. Even then, several challenges would remain: the shot must be stored in ultra-cold temperatures, for instance, complicating the distribution process.
Also in FDA news, the agency yesterday granted emergency use authorization to the first rapid at-home COVID-19 test. The prescription-only test, made by California-based company Lucira Health, delivers results in 30 minutes. Users swab their nose and swirl their sample in a vial, then place it in a testing device and await their result.
New York City public schools, the largest district in the U.S., will close starting tomorrow after seven-day average positive test rates in the city exceeded 3%, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The closure is a setback for the city as it appears to enter a second wave—and a controversial move, as indoor dining and gyms remain open.
A Gallup poll released yesterday found that 58% of surveyed adults would be willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, up from 50% in September. These surveys were conducted from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1—before Pfizer and Moderna’s recent efficacy announcements; the share of willing Americans may continue to rise alongside the prospects of significant protection from the disease.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Nov. 18, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
As COVID-19 Continues to Surge, Trump Keeps His Eyes Closed
U.S. President Donald Trump lost re-election in no small part because of his insufficient response to COVID-19, and as the virus rages on, he continues to almost entirely ignore it, my colleague Brian Bennett reports. Trump’s indifference could cost lives as Americans head into what’s shaping up to be a deadly pandemic winter. Read more here.
In Nova Scotia, Life Is (Almost) Back to Normal
There's a "magical, virus-free world" just hours north of Manhattan: Nova Scotia. Thanks to a swift and early lockdown and travel restrictions, life in the eastern Canadian province resembles normalcy despite the virus’ surge elsewhere; here, journalist Stephanie Nolan chronicles her time in the bubble for the New York Times. Read more here.
Mayo Clinic Staff Are Getting Infected Outside of the Hospital
More than 900 people who work at Rochester, Minn.’s world-renowned Mayo Clinic have contracted the coronavirus in the past two weeks, Forum News Service reports; more than 90% of those infections were acquired while workers were outside the hospital. “It shows you how easy it is to get COVID-19 in the Midwest,” Dr. Amy Williams, dean of clinical practice, said in a press conference. “Our staff are being infected mostly due to community spread, and this impacts our ability to care for patients.” Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Mandy Oaklander and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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