For many, Thanksgiving is a holiday for gathering with family and loved ones to appreciate all that they are thankful for… and to eat lots of food. With a holiday so characterized by tradition, such as Thanksgiving, approaching, the thought of straying from a conventional Thanksgiving may be disheartening, but is necessary to reflect the reality of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Nearly all of the traditions associated with Thanksgiving violate the social distancing guidelines that have been enforced since March, which will impede many of the traditions that are culturally relevant during the holiday season. Although there is not a clear solution to enacting social distancing during Thanksgiving, the CDC has released special guidelines for holiday celebrations concerning COVID-19. The CDC enumerates various factors that could potentially dictate the risk of spreading of contracting COVID-19 at gatherings. Some of these factors include the abundance of cases within communities, the amount of exposure while traveling, where the gathering is located (indoors or outdoors), the amount of time spent at a gathering, the size of the gathering, and the behaviors of the guests prior to and during the gathering (CDC). There are safety suggestions for serving food that include utilizing single-serving dishes and silverware and to limit one person to serving food within the party in order to reduce the number of people who come into contact with the serving utensils. The guidelines presented by the CDC mainly suggest that those attending or hosting a gathering be aware of the risk for contracting Coronavirus and to follow proper mask-wearing procedures during these gatherings. Following these recommendations will help to prevent the spread of Coronavirus during the holiday season, while attempting to keep many of these traditions intact.
Following Thanksgiving Day, the retail holiday of Black Friday is a popular tradition for many. It has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season for the United States, since 1952. Along with the significant deals that are offered on this day, comes traffic-lined roads and overcrowded stores. This year, however, will be a little different. Stores are altering Black Friday for the pandemic, in order to ensure that everyone stays safe. Many major retailers are “starting their sales earlier than ever and ending them later” (CNN). Similarly, “companies are hoping to avoid the crush of customers that crowd stores on the Friday after Thanksgiving by giving them more buying, pickup and delivery options,” which will reduce the number of customers in stores at a time (CNN). Also, deals that are normally reserved for in-store shopping only will be available for online use to accommodate the social distancing guidelines that have been implemented because of the Coronavirus. Shoppers who do go to stores on Black Friday will experience enhanced safety protocols and capacity controls that will limit the number of customers within stores. Overall, marketers are focusing on making Black Friday safer and more manageable for shoppers in order to continue the retail holiday amidst a pandemic.
Sources
“COVID-19: Holiday Celebrations.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html.
Valinsky, Jordan. “Here's How Stores Are Changing Black Friday for the Pandemic.” CNN, Cable News Network, 31 Oct. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/10/31/business/black-friday-2020-store-plans/index.html.
Villano, Matt. “How to Decline Thanksgiving in the Name of Covid.” CNN, Cable News Network, 12 Nov. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/health/skip-thanksgiving-covid-wellness/index.html.
Comments