It could also be that people have figured out this is not the deadly virus it’s being touted as. The death rate in the US is 1/10 of 1%. And that’s assuming all deaths attributed to c19 were actually caused by the coronavirus. So yes, it’s serious, and there’s a slightly elevated death rate, but not to the extent that it should preclude the greater good of being with family.
As someone who actually mines the stuff, I can attest to the fact: all that glitters is not gold, and all that threatens is not deadly.