“Don’t let Thanksgiving become the Last Supper” was the message Door County Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jim Heise shared last week and is being echoed across the country ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. On Monday, Door County Medical Center President/CEO Brian Stephens, Door County Board Chairperson Dave Lienau, and Sturgeon Bay Mayor David Ward released a joint effort to follow the public health advisory issued by Door County Health Officer Sue Powers last week. The statement asks residents and visitors to take the proper mitigation steps while acknowledging the difficult decision to avoid holiday gatherings. The request comes after the Mott’s Children’s Hospital of the University of Michigan found that one in three U.S. parents feel that gathering with family during the pandemic is worth the risk of spreading COVID-19. Heise said during the panel that other options should be explored.

Heise and the other physicians are anticipating a spike in positive COVID-19 a few weeks after Thanksgiving. Acknowledging that families will likely get together, the doctors encouraged people to get creative by masking for at least part of the time, opening a window, inviting a smaller group of people, or eating in the garage.