ST. LOUIS — With Thanksgiving less than a week away, many people are trying to figure out plans to celebrate during a pandemic.
SSM Healthcare's Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Fred Buckhold said in order to have the safest Thanksgiving, it should be celebrated within your immediate household.
"It just takes that one person. Nobody can predict who's that family that has that contagious person that just gets everybody sick. The biggest risk categories is when you're going to meet with people that you have not had any contact with," Dr. Bukchold said.
If you decide to have people that are not in your immediate household, Dr. Buckhold said try to be outside and stay six feet apart.
"Keep your distance from people that haven't been part of your household. Ideally wear masks, would be, if you want to have the highest level of safety, that would probably be it," he explained.
At a Thanksgiving celebration, we tend to share dishes. So Dr. Buckhold recommends limiting cross-contamination.
"The CDC advises to bring your own silverware, bring your own food, minimize sharing of plates or of dishes. If you're going to bring food for others, maybe portion them out in the containers or baggies beforehand," Dr. Bukchold explains.
If you're still trying to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving, Dr. Buckhold gives his best advice to determine a final answer.
"Think about the worst-case scenario that you have, think about whether or not you'd be willing to deal with that and then plan accordingly. This is not the year to play Russian Roulette," he said.
The city of St. Louis has prohibited all private gatherings with more than 10 people.
St. Louis County also restricts social bubbles sticking to that 10 person limit.
