By the time Christmas rolls around, we will have been in isolation for 10 months. For many Americans means 10 months without seeing friends and family who may not live with you. It’s been a hard time for everyone and especially with holidays right around the corner things may seem worse. What will the holidays look like this year? Will it still be ok to go see grandma and grandpa? Does 2021 offer an end to this pandemic? It may seem like these questions have no good answers, but some have already been answered with what we know now.
Obviously, the holidays are going to look a little similar to Thanksgiving. The CDC is already advising people not to travel and keeping gatherings to a minimum. We don’t know how much impact Thanksgiving had on COVID-19, but with what we can infer right now it doesn’t look good. It’s better to stay home now more than ever. If we want to see an end to this anytime soon, everyone needs to do their part and wear their masks, socially distance, and follow all other CDC guidelines. It’s better to give up things now and receive more in the future than to receive now and get a lot of suffering down the road.
You may be asking though, “how can I celebrate with grandma and grandpa?” Of course, there are ways to celebrate distanced, but it won’t be the same. Zoom has become increasingly popular. In fact, they announced they would drop their 40-minute call limit on Thanksgiving. Hopefully they will do this for other holidays as well.
2021 is closer than we think. We have spent the majority of the year wearing masks and socially distancing ourselves from those who are more susceptible do this awful virus. However, now with the vaccine about to be out and rolling could there possibly be an end in sight? The answer to that question is still in the air currently. Though the vaccine is meant to help slow the virus, it’ll take some time to be distributed to everyone and, on top of that, some people are skeptical about the vaccine and may not get it. However, if things go well with the vaccine and enough people do get it, then, according to experts, things should go back to semi-normality come fall of next year.
2020 was awful for everyone. Ask anyone and they will tell you covid has affected them in some shape or form. People have lost loved ones, some have developed anxiety and depression, and some just have had lack of a social life. Though it may seem like the end is nowhere in sight, experts can assure you that if everyone does their part to protect society… things will go back to normal soon.