YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The night before Thanksgiving is traditionally a busy night for bars, as college students return home to visit with friends and family.

This year, the co-owner of V2 in downtown Youngstown says it should be a "blow out." Eddie Moses says the Wine Bar & Trattoria is expecting larger than normal crowds.

Last year, Covid-19 restrictions forced bars to close at 10 p.m. to reduce the spread of the virus. Many health officials at the time expressed concern that college students returning home for the holiday would contribute to the spread of the virus as they gathered with elderly parents and grandparents.

This year, many Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. And, as of November 22nd, the CDC is reporting nearly 60% (59.2%) of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Also some colleges, like Ohio State and Kent State, require vaccinations. Youngstown State University does not.

Dr. James Kravec, Chief Clinical Officer at Mercy Health, says the increasing number of people getting vaccinated it good news. However, he said there is still concern with very busy hospitals all across the state, including here in the Valley.

"As we end November here, this is one of our most busy days in the hospitals for the entire calendar year of 2021. Covid is absolutely present in our community, in our hospitals, in our ERs and intensive care units," said Kravec. "It's a pretty serious situation we are in, we haven't talked a lot about that lately."

Kravec encourages those gathering to use common sense - stay home if you are sick, wash your hands, and cover your cough. He notes that the more people in a group who are vaccinated the safer the gathering and less likely the virus will spread.

The Royal Oaks Bar and Grill is also anticipating a busy night, but Bartender Emily Dunn says they will once again close at 10 p.m. due to low staffing.