Zoom, the video conferencing app that has soared in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, announced a special incentive to those celebrating a socially-distant Thanksgiving: the company is lifting its 40-minute time limit on the holiday so that family gatherings “don't get cut short.”
The tech company will lift the time limit starting at midnight ET on Nov. 26 through 6 a.m. ET on Nov. 27, Zoom said in its announcement. Zoom is offering the free time “as a thank you” to its customers — typically, people with a free subscription on the platform are limited to one 40-minute call at a time and can host up to 100 participants.
Paid plans, which do not have time limits, start at around $150 per year.
The company’s announcement may make it easier for those who can’t travel due to COVID-19 restrictions to still get some much needed face-to-face time with their loved ones.
Recently, the CDC advised Americans to “celebrate (Thanksgiving) with people in your household,” adding that travel increases the chance of contracting and spreading coronavirus. The agency even specifically recommends hosting a virtual Thanksgiving celebration, suggesting that “people share recipes and show their turkey, dressing, or other dishes they prepared.”
In the case of those still hosting in-person Thanksgiving gatherings, the CDC has several recommendations to limit the spread of COVID: host a small, outdoor gathering; limit the number of guests; have guests bring their own food and drink, and only use single-use plastic utensils.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, told Spectrum News that Americans should assess their plans on a “family-by-family basis,” taking into consideration family members who may be at higher risk for the virus.
“I'm doing that with my own family in the sense of bringing in my adult daughters who live in various parts of the country. They do not want to come home,” Dr. Fauci explained. “They would love to be with me and I would love to be with them. But they're very sensitive about my age [and] that I'm in a vulnerable group.
Still, experts predict the number of coronavirus cases will spike after the Thanksgiving holidays, likely compounding the already record-highs across the country. The virus is blamed for more than 246,000 deaths and over 11 million confirmed infections in the United States, with a record-breaking nearly 70,000 people hospitalized with the coronavirus in the U.S. as of Sunday.
In light of the spiking cases, the CDC also recommends people follow their local government’s health guidelines, as some areas are harder-hit than others. Governors and mayors from California to Pennsylvania have ramped up COVID-19 restrictions ahead of Thanksgiving.