Set a place for Zoom

Traditionally, this is the week Curt Alliaume packs his family into the car and steers toward Washington, D.C., for a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings including a house packedwith relatives. But in a COVID-19 world, he s staying home. We would have to self-quarantine for two weeks if we traveled there. We ll have a Zoom Thanksgiving instead, the Naperville resident said. Typically, The Thanksgiving meal is hosted by our brotherin-law s parents, and it s amazing. But this year, we ve all agreed to follow the rules, Alliaume said. TheU.S. Centers for Disease Control would applaud that plan and warned last week that travel increases the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 as does a lengthy meal with others outside your immediate circle. If he did driveeast, Alliaume would pass from Illinois, where the seven-day average test positivity rate is 12%, to Indiana 12.5%, Ohio 12.7%, and Pnavirus Resource Center. The state with the lowest test positivity rate is Maine with 2.1%, while the highest is South Dakota with 52.5%, according to Johns Hopkins. Illinois neighbors are all in double digits: Iowa is at 48.6%; Missouri is at 23.5%; Wisconsin is at 16%; Michigan is 11.7%; and Kentucky is 10.2%.A Daily Herald Facebook survey of readers showed many changed longstanding travel plans to feast at home but set a place for Zoom to link them with loved ones. Those decisions reflect AAA s projections of an almost 15% drop in 2020 Thanksgiving trips in Illinois compared to 2019. Diane Pedersen s adult sons won t be driving from Nashville or flying from Los Angeles this year. My in-laws normally host a small dinner (under 10) with an open house after for other relatives, Pedersen said. This year, it will be just my husband and me at our house. Our dinner will still be good, as my husband likes cooking, but there will be too many leftovers. P explained.