By Jordyn Taylor
Thanksgiving usually means reuniting with family, seeing old friends, dinner tables with an endless amount of people, traveling and holiday cheer, but this year was unlike any other.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Thanksgiving was not spent the way many are used to as people had to stay socially distant and adhere to COVID-19 regulations. On Nov. 17, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it strongly recommended that Americans avoid traveling to see loved ones over Thanksgiving. However, with college students from all over coming home for the break, travel was hard to prevent. A survey of a sample of UMD students found that 80% went home for the holiday. How did their families spend Thanksgiving differently?
For most students, the holiday was spent with their immediate families. Since it was advised to not be spent with anyone else, many tended to Zoom in order to virtually see the people they would usually be spending the day with. Others chose to gather at an outdoor area.
“Although Thanksgiving was different this year, I had a great time spending it with my parents and siblings. Since we couldn’t see my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins this year, we Zoomed with them during dinner,” junior journalism major Lilly Sibel said.
Other students stayed on campus for the holiday. While it was very quiet in College Park, students spent Thanksgiving with one another, or alone, instead of with their families to avoid spreading the virus.
“I didn’t want to go home and potentially give my family the virus, so I stayed at school,” junior finance and information systems major Ryan McDevitt said. “My roommates stayed too, and on Thanksgiving we cooked a meal and watched a movie together.”
The university’s policy regarding the holiday break declared that those who left campus for Thanksgiving must stay at their permanent residence until the spring semester.
Hannah Widman, a junior psychology major, knew since the summer that she wouldn’t be allowed to come back to school after Thanksgiving. As a Chicago resident, she claims it wouldn’t make sense to travel so far after the holiday.
“Although I would love to come back to school, I wouldn’t want to travel and put not only myself in risk of getting the virus, but all of my friends and family at home too,” Widman said.
According to The Harvard Gazette, a large rise of cases and deaths are expected in the next few weeks as a result of Thanksgiving. This virus is not over, and it is advised to continue wearing a mask and maintain social distances to save lives.
Featured photo courtesy of Katie Inglis/flickr.