Are My Family’s Thanksgiving Plans Safe? Covid Risk by County

As parents think about their teens at college or consider traveling over the holidays, the risk of Covid-19 by geography becomes paramount. Is the college town in a safer area? Do the grandparents live in a high risk town? We no longer need to speculate.

A Harvard University collaborative launched a tool this summer that parents can use to asses the virus risk right down to the county level. An online risk-assessment map allows you to look, at a glance, and see if the county you live in, the ones you are traveling through, or your destination is red, orange, yellow or green. The color represent the level of risk based on the number of new cases every day in that area.

If a county is Green it is on its way to containing the virus. Yellow is a slightly higher risk and Orange is considered even riskier. Areas that are Red are, “jurisdictions have reached a tipping point for uncontrolled spread,” according to the collaborative’s guidance.

At the red level, “jurisdictions have reached a tipping point for uncontrolled spread,” according to the collaborative’s guidance.

At the red level, “you really need to be back at a stay-at-home [advisory]” says Ellie Graeden of Talus Analytics and the Center for Global Health, Science and Security at Georgetown University, part of the group that developed the tool.

Risk levels by country October 4, 2020.

So often we rely on anecdotal information around the risks with this virus. We extrapolate from our personal experiences or ask those in another geographic area of their impressions. In Grown and Flown Parents, we find parents often asking about the risks near the University their student is living or where we hope to travel for Thanksgiving or over the holidays. But here is a more comprehensive data-driven resources to let us and our kids react appropriately to the real risks that exist near and far from home.

To learn more

More to Read:

Eleven Ways Covid May Have Changed College Campuses Permanently

About Lisa Endlich Heffernan

Lisa (Endlich) Heffernan is the co-founder of Grown and Flown, the #1 site for parents of teens, college students and young adults, reaching millions of parents every month. Lisa is a New York Times bestselling author.
She started the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook Group and is co-author of Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults (Flatiron Books) now in paperback.

Read more posts by Lisa

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