Zoom is lifting the 40-minute time limit on Thanksgiving Zoom meetings so family members and friends can virtually spend the holiday together.

Health officials advise people to not take part in large Thanksgiving family gatherings, especially with older family members, many are planning on hosting virtual dinners via virtual meetings.

“As cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with,” advises the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

As a thank you to our customers, we will be lifting the 40-minute limit for all meetings globally from midnight ET on Nov. 26 through 6 a.m. ET on Nov. 27 so your family gatherings don’t get cut short.

It’s only a temporary removal of the 40-minute restriction, lasting from midnight on Thanksgiving Day (November 26th) to 6AM ET on November 27th. But the fact that Zoom is doing this at all — and that it will likely go a long way in helping users employ video chatting as a substitute for a traditional family gathering — speaks volumes about the bizarre and uncharted territory we’re entering this holiday season as COVID-19 continues to rage in the US.