Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) on Tuesday urged those who had planned on hosting Thanksgiving gatherings to “uninvite” their guests and “keep it small” as the country experiences a rapid surge in coronavirus infections.
Brown took to Twitter to promote changes to traditional holiday plans, which other elected officials and public health experts have also warned against with U.S. states reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases.
According to The New York Times coronavirus database, the U.S. had roughly 178,200 newly confirmed infections on Tuesday, with at least 2,216 deaths. As of Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. has had more than 12.7 million COVID-19 cases, as well as at least 260,900 fatalities.
“This is hard, but making difficult sacrifices now will save lives,” Brown wrote. “This Thanksgiving, keep it small. Uninvite them.”
The Democratic governor also included a 30-second video with suggestions on who people should rescind Thanksgiving invitations to in order to keep in-person contact at a minimum, including “your new boyfriend,” “your drunken uncle,” “your best friend” and “your vegan niece.”
“This holiday, keep your gathering small,” the text in the video read. “Limit groups. Save lives.”
The governor last week issued an executive order implementing a new wave of restrictions on public life in Oregon, including restaurants only being allowed to offer takeout and delivery services. The order also mandated that gyms, museums and some other businesses would be forced to close completely.
“I know Oregonians have made tremendous sacrifices throughout this pandemic and that these new, temporary restrictions may seem daunting,” Brown said in a statement at the time. “But, we are at a breaking point. If we don’t take further action, we risk continued alarming spikes in infections and hospitalizations, and we risk the lives of our neighbors and loved ones.”
“I also know that Oregonians come together in times of need, and we owe it to each other to take these measures seriously. It is up to all of us to work together to get this virus under control,” she added.
As of Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority has recorded more than 67,000 COVID-19 cases and 847 deaths due to the virus, with more than 1,000 new infections and 21 additional deaths on Tuesday.
Brown’s Twitter video came the same day Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) released a video address calling on Michiganders to avoid hosting in-person gatherings for Thanksgiving.
“If you are planning to spend Thanksgiving with people outside of your own household, I urge you to reconsider,” Whitmer said.
“We must make short-term sacrifices for our long-term health,” she continued. “None of us wants the guilt of gathering and unwittingly spreading this virus to someone we love.”