COVID-19 is transforming Thanksgiving celebrations for most Hamilton families
'Each of us are the first line of defence against this virus,' mayor says ahead of Thanksgiving
Tina-Marie Mio is used to sitting around the dinner table surrounded by family at Thanksgiving.
She's heard the pleas from public health. She sees headlines online about rising COVID-19 cases. But the 53-year-old grandmother isn't going to let that stop her from celebrating with her entire family.
"People should just live their life ... this is crazy," she said on Friday, the same day Ontario reported its highest-ever daily number of new cases.
"Soon we're not going to be able to do anything ... when something doesn't make sense, why should we follow it?"
Public health says you follow the advice to save lives. Stop the virus and you can help lift the pandemic-era restrictions altogether.
Officials have continued to warn residents about more infections, many of which are coming from social gatherings.
The virus has forced rituals like funerals and weddings to change. Thanksgiving is the latest tradition to give way.
This year's turkey dinner will be different because, for one, the turkey may be smaller.
"Normally they'd want a 15-to-16-pounder for eight to 10 people — Oh, they're cutting back, six people, 12-pounder, 10-pounder instead ... instead of a four-bone prime rib at the shop, they're ordering the two-bone prime rib and orders are down," Murray Thunberg, owner of Murray's Farm and Murray's Farm Butcher Shop.
"Especially in the last week, it's supposed to be the big rush."
Restaurants won't feel quite the same either. In the Greater Toronto Area, they won't accommodate any indoor patrons.
Services in Hamilton, like Mission Services, are still feeding their clients, but aren't able to do a free community Thanksgiving dinner.
The Good Shepherd, however, will be taking their usual free Thanksgiving meal for clients and offering roughly 500 take-away meals rather than a sit-down dinner on Monday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 135 Mary St.
WATCH | Making safe Thanksgiving decisions during the pandemic
Lynda Tomkinson-Cole said her family has also had to pivot.
Her immune system isn't as strong, which has led her to not invite anyone for dinner. She'll have the challenge of cooking the turkey on her own this year (which didn't go very well in the past). But she has a bigger concern — people flouting public health advice.
"It's why we've kept our bubble at zero ... it's hard when you have to change anything but it's because you don't know what everyone else is doing ... I don't know who's in your bubble and who they're letting in their bubble."
Shannon Duran, who lives near Gage Park, has a similar worry. She lives with family members with weaker immune systems.
"We've got to get our numbers down," she said.
Others, like Vince Toneguzzi, are trying an outdoor picnic and inviting some family members they don't live with.
"We're doing as much as we can to keep the kids' lives as normal as possible," he said.
"We want our kids to see their grandparents, so we decided outside would be better and we're supposed to have a nice weekend."
Dr. Jacqueline Wong, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, told the CBC on Thursday that outdoor meals can work if they're done properly.
"We've definitely heard of different families and friends opting for an outdoor lunch Thanksgiving dinner so that you can be in an environment where it's easy to physically distance, where ventilation is a non-issue."
And then there are those like Mio, who refuse to adapt — but not out of pure defiance.
She and others say some of the public health measures contradict each other, with city rules on public gatherings not being restricted in the same way as Thanksgiving.
Wong said getting clear and accurate information has been challenging and it's important that people help each other get the facts, rather than the misinformation.
"I think at the end of the day, it's a conversation. It's a conversation that we always want to have civilly and respectfully ... and if we remind people that there are vulnerable members of our families and communities out there, that sometimes can also help with the conversation."
Mayor Fred Eisenberger said while Thanksgiving is a meal and a time many cherish with family, the sacrifice on the long weekend may pay off in the near future.
"Each of us are the first line of defence against this virus so please continue to do your part to help stop the spread of COVID-19," he said in a statement posted online.
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