Celebrating holidays this year is going to look different for everyone. Many professionals are fearful for the spike in coronavirus cases following the holiday season. So, you may be asking, “how can we enjoy the holidays together when you can’t be physically together?We’re going to cover a few ways you can still celebrate and take strides to keep everyone safe this holiday season!
To begin, how can we prevent an increase in cases? Well, according to a CNBC article there are 7 steps you can take to prevent a dangerous post-holiday COVID-19 spike
- Skip Your Normal Celebration
- Don’t Travel
- Get Tested
- Set Ground Rules
- Limit Your Time
- Quarantine on the Back End
- Avoid Conflict
The CDC has recommended that people with the following should not attend in-person holiday gatherings;
- Has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has not met the criteria for when it is safe to be around others
- Has symptoms of COVID-19
- Is waiting for COVID-19 viral test results
- May have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
- Is at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Once you have decided that everyone attending your celebration is healthy, there are still a few precautions that you can take to keep everyone safe. One idea includes hosting your celebration outside, this helps with maintaining the 6ft of distance as well as not being trapped in such confined spaces. However, we know it is getting colder and this might not be a solution for everyone, another option many households are adopting is hosting a virtual celebration! Set up a conference video call and have everyone place their laptops on the table, so that you can talk while eating a holiday meal. Be sure to share recipes ahead of time, so everyone can eat the same food in different places. Honor your usual traditions, like having each person say what they’re thankful for.
Everyone can work to make the holidays safer by wearing a mask with two layers to protect yourself and your loved ones. You should also keep six feet of space from individuals who don’t live with you. Remind everyone that they should be washing their hands throughout the day with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, keep hand sanitizer readily available, and disinfect regularly touched surfaces.
We can all work together to keep our families and loved ones safe. Have a great holiday season!
