By Dominic Rosetti
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The year 2020 with its deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to cancel much of America’s fun traditions, including Thanksgiving celebrations with family and friends who in the past would gather to eat turkey, and watch the Macy parade and professional football games.
Not only has the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, halted most of the family traditions but also spurred federal, state and local officials to urge Americans to stay home and follow a laundry list of protocol to prevent the spread of the deadly infections.
Are people listening? It depends on who you talk to.
Josh Maki, a 17-year-old varsity football senior at Calvert Hall, is excited that school officials will continue one tradition in Baltimore – the Turkey Bowl. The famous high school football rivalry between Calvert Hall and Loyola has been ongoing annually since 1929.
“I’m excited the Turkey Bowl is still on this year and I’ve been looking forward to starting in it since I decided to play at Calvert Hall,” Maki said.
COVID-19 has forced some changes to the game, however, Maki said.
“There definitely will be a different feel to the game this year considering it’s at Calvert Hall rather than Towson or M&T Bank Stadium,” he explained. “Although that means we have home field advantage, it still will not be as exciting without all the fans and the energy that comes from them.”
Maki added that even though this is his first year starting, he will be prepared at his best because this will be his last year participating in the traditional Turkey Bowl.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told reporters recently that he cancelled his family’s Thanksgiving plans since coronavirus case numbers continue to surge.
“We actually were hoping to get our family together,” Hogan told WJZ CBS Baltimore of the original plans he and his wife Yumi had made. “I was going to have my three daughters and my three sons-in-law and my four grandkids over to the Governor’s Mansion for a nice Thanksgiving. But we made the determination to cancel all those plans.”
During the vice-presidential debate, however, Vice President Mike Pence mentioned that he will join his family and friends for a Thanksgiving meal.
Seven governors in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky urged Americans to stay home this Thanksgiving in an Op-Ed piece that appeared in The Washington Post recently.
The governors pleaded “with Thanksgiving around the corner, we urge all Americans to stay smart and follow recommendations from medical experts: Get together with your family via Zoom to ensure your loved ones stay safe.
“If you are planning to spend Thanksgiving with people outside your household, we urge you to reconsider,” the opinion piece continued. “Think about your last Thanksgiving and the people you were surrounded by — your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends, or the family you have chosen for yourself. Picture their faces — laughing with you, watching football with you or even arguing with you about politics. As hard as it will be to not see them this Thanksgiving, imagine how much harder it would be if their chairs are empty next year.”
Hogan issued a new series of actions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including a travel advisory.
“Any Marylander returning from out-of-state or any out-of-state traveler should either get tested for COVID-19 promptly upon arrival in Maryland or within 72 hours before travel to Maryland,” according to the Maryland Department of Health. “We encourage out-of-state visitors to be tested within 72 hours prior to arrival and to cancel travel if they receive a positive result. Visitors waiting for their test results should stay at home between the time of their test and their arrival in Maryland or to self-quarantine upon arrival.”
Corey Donovan, a 32-year-old server at Outback Steakhouse, said she will willingly follow safety protocol but her family will not cancel plans to visit family this Thanksgiving.
“My husband and I will be going to Pennsylvania to visit his side of the family,” said Donovan. “I will have to rearrange my work schedule to work from home for my day job and then give up shifts at the restaurant so I can get a COVID test and wait for the results before leaving for Pennsylvania because we have elderly family who have underlying conditions and do not want to bring COVID into their homes.”
To ensure her safety as well as other family members, Donovan added, “I will wear a mask around family, wash my hands, use sanitizer and avoid close contact/social distance appropriately. Unfortunately, we will not be sharing any affection, like hugging or kissing, which makes me really sad.”
A new AAA survey found that “almost 90% of Marylanders are planning to stay home for Thanksgiving. Half of those who responded to the survey said they are staying home because of the coronavirus, the survey said, and 43% of people felt it would be a “significant” risk to travel.”
Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, has repeatedly urged Americans to reconsider traveling for Thanksgiving given the rise in cases not only in America but globally as well. Officials report 12 million confirmed cases nationally and 255,739 deaths. In Maryland, which has a 6.82% positivity rate, officials report 182,139 confirmed cases and 4,279 deaths.
“We really have to be careful this time that each individual family evaluates the risk-benefit,” Fauci said. “If you have vulnerable people, the elderly or people that have underlying conditions, you better consider whether you want to do that now or maybe just forestall it and wait.”
Ashly Gayle, a 23-year-old student at CCBC-Essex, said her family decided to partially comply.
“I’ll be going to visit family in Pennsylvania and stay in a lodge,” Gayle said. “We’re keeping safe from the virus because it’s only going to be five of us and not the entire family is coming.”