COVID-19 cases are constantly rising in Maryland, causing Severna Park High School students to celebrate Thanksgiving differently this year.

According to the Maryland Department of Health, the state reached a new record high number of cases on Friday, Dec. 4. In this single day, 3,792 new cases were reported. Much of the SPHS community took necessary precautions and opted out of their traditional holiday practices, in order to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

“Due to the CoronaVirus, this year’s Thanksgiving celebration [was] cancelled,” sophomore Julian Murphy said. “My family won’t be able to gather and see each other.”

Students had to cancel parties and back out of trips. Junior Theresa Bragg said that she traditionally celebrates with over 20 relatives from Maryland, California, Minnesota, Illinois and California but did not get to see many of them this year. This goes for many students who were unable to see so many relatives this year.

“We were originally planning on going to New Jersey this year like we’ve done in the past,” sophomore Kate Evans said. “But we have decided to stay home because we have to be cautious of my grandparents’ health with the pandemic. We are going to be doing our first Thanksgiving on our own this year which is definitely different.”

While many people have cancelled some of their favorite Thanksgiving plans all together, some have adjusted them with Covid-19 precautions to keep everyone safe. Senior Kyle Griffith normally has a “big celebration with around 30 people” But in the age of the CoronaVirus, everything is different.

“That plan has changed to an outside gathering where we all bring our food and sit 6 feet apart from the other family members,” Griffith said. “This year I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with nine people.”

Just about every Severna Park student is disappointed with the change of holiday circumstances, but realize that this is an important step in keeping their loved ones safe. 

“I am really disappointed with this unprecedented holiday disruption,” sophomore Sophia Miller said. “I think big family gatherings are one of the best things about the holidays. It will surely be missed, but better to be safe than sorry this year.”