As COVID-19 cases skyrocket, US families weigh the risks of welcoming students home

(Reuters) – Nina Jain regularly checked the country’s COVID-19 data and hoped her son Antonio, a sophomore attending college in Iowa, could return home to Sacramento, Calif., For Thanksgiving this week.

Jain, who works in a government office, saw her hopes dashed when she saw U.S. cases of COVID-19 increase by an average of more than 168,000 a day last week. Antonio canceled his flight on Friday, hours before his scheduled departure, heeding public health warnings that a nationwide dispersal of students returning home for the holidays could fuel a deadly wave of infections.

“It’s like a piece of your heart is 1,500 miles away and there’s nothing you can do about it,” said Jain, 44, whose Thanksgiving plan without Antonio is to wear pajamas, cook for her. yourself and spending time with your pets by the fire. “You find comfort in knowing that you are doing the right thing.”

As COVID-19 infections skyrocket, families with college students have been forced to assess the risk of reuniting for Thanksgiving, when extended American families traditionally gather around the table to eat turkey dinners and show their gratitude. Some opted to roll the dice and celebrate together Thursday, while others canceled their trips or attempted to follow disease prevention protocols at home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control warns that if students return home for Thanksgiving, they should be considered guests and families should wear masks, stay six feet away, and open windows to mitigate the risk of ‘infection.

Cynthia Wimer, 54, who lives with her husband and elderly parents in Washington, DC, was unwilling to take the risk when her daughter Francesca, a sophomore at Northwestern University, returned home for the holidays .

So Francesca went home with an N95 mask and face shield and checked into a hotel for 14 days, where her parents delivered her meals. She tested negative on day 7 but completed her quarantine period to make sure she did not infect her family.

“She was going back to a vulnerable group of people,” Wimer said. “We didn’t think one test would be enough.”

For some students, a last minute COVID-19 test before leaving campus has derailed their trip.

Luke Burke, a junior at Syracuse University, was planning to spend Thanksgiving with his family in New Jersey until his roommate tested positive last week. Although Burke’s test came back negative, he isolated himself in a hotel for two weeks to be safe.

“I’m sorry that I can’t be there with my parents, but it’s the right thing to do,” Burke said, speaking to Reuters by phone from his hotel room.

‘HUGE AWAKENING’

Students who returned home for Thanksgiving are adjusting to a more restricted lifestyle compared to the campus environment where they interacted more freely, despite wearing masks, several told Reuters.

Katie Sartori returned home to Maplewood, New Jersey, after her first semester at the University of Rhode Island, to find the atmosphere much more cautious than in the summer, when she felt comfortable socializing with friends because the infection rate was lower.

At school, Sartori was tested weekly, attended face-to-face classes, and ate in mess halls. At home, she plans to limit social interactions to protect her family.

“It was kind of a weird wake-up call,” said Sartori, whose family is cooking a little Thanksgiving instead of inviting friends.

Students’ efforts to limit their interactions with friends at home could save lives this winter, said Aaron Milstone, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University.

“Traveling is a risk. But there are many risks that go along with this, for example, who will want to see this person when they come home? he said. “All this mixing is what exacerbates it.”

Yet the increased restrictions at home have caused friction in families.

When Ingrid, the daughter of Craig Shannon and Shelly Hesslau, a freshman in college, returned to Missoula, MT, she backed down from some of her parents’ precautions that she felt were too restrictive, Hesslau said. Ingrid had already quarantined and tested negative before returning home

“She might think she’s superwoman at this point, and we’re all, like, triple-masking,” Hesslau said.

The family plans to have Thanksgiving dinner around the same table, though they plan to open the windows, keep masks on between bites, and cook in shifts so as not to clutter the kitchen.

“Even though everyone agreed on the risks involved, it’s embarrassing,” said Craig Shannon.