After speaking with brave souls who made the move, we collected a list of tips on how to break the news.
???? Love Philly? Sign up for the free Billy Penn email newsletter to get everything you need to know about Philadelphia, every day. One Philly resident wrestled with the idea for a week before she worked up the nerve to cancel Thanksgiving plans. Another felt lucky to have her pregnancy to bolster her arguments for staying home. A third felt a huge weight lift when someone else finally started the conversation. “I actually think it was my husband’s cousin who sent the text: ‘Zoom Thanksgiving?’” said Penn prof Rinad Beidas, who lives in Fitler Square. “Everyone was like, ‘Yes, that sounds about right.’” As coronavirus cases spike and COVID-related hospitalizations rise, city health officials are imploring Philadelphians to cancel holiday plans — especially group gatherings that involve multiple households. “We are not going to get past this epidemic by Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas,” said Health Commissioner Tom Farley. “Family gatherings right now are simply very dangerous.” He recommended that Mayor Jim Kenney institute the current ban on indoor dining and close theaters and gyms because the virus is “a little bit everywhere” he said, but informal social get-togethers with food and drink is where most of the spread appears to be occurring. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to forgo your winter traditions, or tell friends and relatives you just won’t be showing up. Manayunk resident Rebeca Cruz-Esteves usually spends Thanksgiving with her uncles in New York City, using the occasion to memorialize her aunt, who died two years ago. Currently pregnant and two weeks from her due date, she was thankful for she had the equivalent of a doctor’s note. “The hospital telling us to quarantine was really helpful,” said Cruz-Esteves,32.
