MASSACHUSETTS — Friends and family members gathered around a feast sounds like what everyone needs right now. Instead, it’s the latest thing officials are asking residents to sacrifice in the name of public health.
Thanksgiving is ripe for the spread of the coronavirus — people from different households huddled together indoors, talking and laughing with masks off to clear the way for the food. Officials fear the holiday will strengthen the pandemic’s renewed foothold in Massachusetts and across the country.
“Today we’re urging everybody to make a difficult choice this Thanksgiving,” Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday. “If we treat this year just like we treat every other Thanksgiving, it’s quite likely that it will trigger a significant spread. And we know that that leads to serious illness for many and in rare cases death, especially among our senior citizens.”
As such, Baker’s administration pleaded with people to stay put this year and only celebrate Thanksgiving with those in their own home, pointing to the state’s Thanksgiving guidelines.
The recent long lines at COVID-19 test sites suggest people may be preparing to ignore that message. Wait times at some drive-thru sites have been as high as five hours. Tests conducted have hovered around 100,000 on weekdays — Wednesday’s daily report showed 97,636 tests and 2,744 new cases.Subscribe
The state will send an automated message to 4.5 million phones in Massachusetts Thursday reminding them of the increased coronavirus risk.
“Part of what I’m concerned about here is it’s pretty clear based on those lines that a lot of people are going to travel over the holidays,” Baker said. “And there’s not much at this point that we can do other than say we think that’s not a great idea and encourage people, if they do do that, to recognize and understand that a test is not like a Kevlar vest, OK? It’s a moment in time.”
Baker is also asking college students going home for the holidays to get tested before they leave campus and remain at school if they test positive.
“Hopefully it’ll help prevent thousands of students from traveling around the state and over state lines to potentially infect their family members and loved ones with this virus when they return home,” the governor said.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has been more direct, telling students if they go home for the break, they should stay there for the rest of the semester.
Emerson College and Suffolk University are taking the decisions out of students’ hands, shifting to remote learning after Thanksgiving. Harvard College and Boston University echoed Walsh’s request for students to stay home if they leave.
“Returning to campus after the break is not a good idea,” Boston University said in an email to students. “Public health officials throughout this country are urging us all to stay put and not travel during this year’s holiday season.”
Walsh said a city shutdown could be around the corner if things don’t turn around. An even more pronounced increased in cases brought on by holiday travel may do the trick.
“The last resort would be to shut things down right now,” Walsh said. “And we’re headed toward that last resort.”
PEABODY, PATCH
