Joe Biden revealed on Wednesday there will only be three people at his Thanksgiving dinner this year as he holds a scaled-back event due to the coronavirus pandemic.
'It's going to cause problems in my family,' he said of the restrictions around the holiday. Medical experts are recommending no large gatherings and encouraging families to hold virtual events instead of in-person ones.
'I got a big family - you probably heard a lot about - we do everything together. We're just not going to -- it's going to be three of us because you can't mix the families that have been away, that haven't been quarantining,' Biden told frontline healthcare workers during a virtual briefing.
The president-elect said people needed hope as COVID cases are on the rise and the United States has seen more than 250,000 deaths.
'So all these difficult decisions people are going to be making, we got to give them hope. We got to give them hope. And I believe there is reason for optimism. Granted, it could come quicker if we move quicker. But there is hope on the way,' he said.
Biden didn't say who will be the third person joining him and Jill. The Biden transition team did not respond to inquiries from DailyMail.com.
There are several options: Biden has two living children, both of whom are married; two brothers; a sister; and seven grandchildren.
Joe Biden said there will only be three people at his Thanksgiving dinner
Joe Biden said he has a big family - several members are seen above with him on the night he was declared president-elect - and that they're disappointed not to be together but will follow expert advice and hold a smaller gathering
The president-elect revealed on Monday he and Jill were struggling how to handle their upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
The couple usually spend the long weekend on Nantucket - where they dine on lobster and turkey - with their extended family: a four decade tradition. But the Bidens are expected to spend this year's holiday at their Wilmington home.
The Trumps will spend the holiday at the White House instead of their traditional visit to Mar-a-Lago as President Donald Trump refuses to concede the election.
Biden, meanwhile, begged Americans to follow the advice of experts and downsize their holiday gatherings, which typically feature a large number of people gathered together indoors and eating.
He said his family was relying on expert advice and were going to try to limit their gathering to five or at least no more than 10 people.
'Jill and I spent this morning, like many of you, trying to figure out what are we going to do for Thanksgiving? How are we going to do it?,' he said. 'And would narrow down which family members and that they were tested, recently tested, within 24 hours.'
The United States has seen a spike in coronavirus infections as the cold weather forces people indoors. More than 11 million Americans have been infected and more than 250,000 people have died.
The president-elect urged Americans to follow the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts and limit their holiday plans, trying for virtual gatherings instead of in-person ones.
'I would strongly urge for the sake -- not just your sake but the sake of your children, your mother, your father, your sister and your brothers, there should be no more than ten people in one room and inside the home,' he said.
And he urge people to wear masks.
'Being masked saves lives,' he said, adding: 'I just want to be sure we are able to be together next Thanksgiving and next Christmas.'
And he seemed to get in a shot at President Donald Trump, who has been reluctant to wear a face covering.
'There's nothing macho about not wearing a mask,' he said.
Biden was asked about his holiday plans during a speech in which he discussed his way of leading the United States out of the pandemic-induced recession.
A new survey found nearly 40 per cent of Americans are planning to have a Thanksgiving dinner with 10 or more attendees, as 1 in 4 people say they won't practice social distancing.
The survey, which was conducted by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, found that while a majority of respondents will take precautions for the holiday, a significant number of people will be inviting several guests.
According to the results, 38 per cent of Americans intend to invite more than 10 people to their homes on Thanksgiving or attend Thanksgiving gatherings with 10 or more people.
About 33 per cent said it wouldn't be likely that they would require their guests to wear face masks.
Twenty-seven per cent of the participants said they would not practice social distancing, according to the poll.
Nearly 40 per cent of Americans are planning to have a Thanksgiving dinner with 10 or more attendees
Seventy-nine per cent of the respondents said they are very likely or somewhat likely to celebrate with household members only
About 33 per cent said it wouldn't be likely that they would require their guests to wear face masks
About 73 per cent of the respondents said they would practice social distancing during the holidays and 79 per cent said they would only gather with those in their household.
Additionally, 80 per cent of participants said they would ask family and friends not to come if they experienced symptoms of the virus.
The U.S. is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases and recently reported 11 million cases across the country.
Colder weather is forcing gatherings indoors, where the virus can more easily spread, but health officials are cautioning against large family gatherings, especially during the holidays.
Dr Iahn Gonsenhauser, the chief quality and patient safety officer at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said: 'When you're gathered together around the table, engaged in conversation, sitting less than six feet apart with your masks down, even in a small group, that's when the spread of this virus can really happen.'
Gonsenhauser says the safest solution is the one that people don't want to hear: find ways to communicate virtually and cancel in-person plans.
'If you have someone in your household who's high risk and you're in a low incidence area, you're going to want to think twice about having a celebration where people are coming from an area where there's a lot of virus in the community,' Gonsenhauser said.
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