Thanksgiving dinner can go-ahead this year, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry relayed to the public during Thursday's briefing.
However, the doctor clarified that in homes throughout the province on Oct. 12, festivities must be limited to a small number of family members or friends.
“Thanksgiving is an important time for us to remember and give thanks for those who are closest to and we’ve been talking about that quite a bit,” Henry said.
“There’s no reason at all why you can’t have Thanksgiving with your household bubble, your contacts, your close, small number of people.”
She emphasized this year's holiday is no time for large gatherings.
“We would not be recommending either that you have a large family gathering, where particularly elders and seniors come from other places and get together with people who have had other types of contacts,” she explained.
“This is a year to participate remotely with your family, the people you’re closest to, to make sure that you can find ways to engage in these important celebrations together without putting anybody at risk.”
Henry also recommended B.C. families have discussions about the size of their social bubbles, and who is included in them.
“A starting point for all of us is to remember that the more people we see, the higher our risk will be,” she added.
The province reported 148 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, and two deaths.
