IL Patch Survey: Is Coronavirus Changing Your Thanksgiving Plans?

ILLINOIS — The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, and plans may look a little different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Families will be deciding if they'll limit Thanksgiving dinner to their households or invite extended family with precautions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the safest way to celebrate is with people in your own household.

For those who are celebrating with others, the CDC has guidance to reduce the chance of spreading COVID-19. The CDC recommends wearing a mask over your nose and mouth except when eating and drinking. Individuals should maintain six feet of distance from people who they don't live with, especially people who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness. Other suggestions include small outdoor meals with family and friends, limiting the number of guests, using single-use options like plastic utensils, and opening windows for indoor meals.

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Illinois and other states have seen coronavirus cases and hospitalizations increase ahead of the holiday. Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday announced Tier 3 mitigations will take effect statewide starting Friday to help stem the spread of coronavirus. The additional mitigations include the closure of casinos, theaters, indoor museums, performing arts centers.

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Holiday Events In Chicago: What Is Your Risk Of COVID Exposure?

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory and Stanford University have also created a new risk assessment tool showing the risk of coronavirus transmission based on an event's size and location, anywhere in the country.

As of this week, if you were to attend an event in Chicago or elsewhere in Cook County with 10 people — the stay-at-home advisory's recommended limit — there would be a 34 percent chance that someone at the event would have the virus, according to their online tool. Increase the event's size to 15 people — five over the limit — and the risk goes up to 46 percent. With 25 people at the event, the risk jumps to 64 percent, and with 50, it goes all the way up to 87 percent.

With these data trends and health guidance in mind, we want to know what our readers in Illinois are planning for the Thanksgiving holiday. Does the pandemic affect how you will celebrate? What kind of measures are you planning to keep family and friends safe?

The survey is anonymous and will be only used to show collective results. It will be open through Friday, Nov. 20. A results story will be shared after the survey closes.

If you cannot see the survey below, click here.

Emily Leayman, Patch Staff, contributed to this article.