Photo illustration by Jason Benavides

Nov. 18. With Thanksgiving approaching and COVID-19 transmission on everyone’s mind, where does North Carolina rank in terms of the safest states to spend the holiday? WalletHub says North Carolina ranks 19th out of all 50 states across 10 key safety metrics.

The data set includes how the state is handling the COVID-19 pandemic, such as positive tests and deaths per capita in the past week and requirements to wear a face mask in public, as well as other indicators like the average number of DUI-related fatalities in November.

Thanksgiving safety in North Carolina (1=Safest; 25=Avg.)

—11th in COVID-19 Positive Tests in the Past Week per Capita
—10th in COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate This Week
—24th in share of Multigenerational Households
—30th in share of Offline Homes
—12th in COVID-19 Death Rate in the Past Week per Capita

South Carolina, which has fewer COVID-19 restrictions than North Carolina, ranked 32nd safest in the WalletHub study. Click here to read the full study, including methodology and expert comments from a variety of university-level educators.

Advice

“Wear masks, try to keep interactions outdoors and if that is not a possibility, get air circulating throughout the space where you are congregating. Keep at least a 6 feet distance. Also, be particularly mindful of your relatives that are over 60 or may have underlying conditions as they are particularly vulnerable,” said University of Delaware Professor Bahira Trask, Ph.D.

And, keep your celebration to 10 or fewer in North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper signed an order amending restrictions under Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. Effective Nov. 13 at 5 p.m., indoor gatherings will be capped at 10 people, down from 25. Outdoor gatherings remain capped at 50 people.