Happy Holidays Everyone! We wish you a warm and cozy Christmas! For many of us, this is a special and favorite time of year. Even though it has been a challenging year, we have so much to be grateful for.
Our holiday celebrations might look a little different this year. The safest way to celebrate is at home with the people you live with and avoiding large gatherings. If you are hosting or attending a small gathering with family and friends, consider some of these suggestions to reduce the transmission of COVID-19:
- Celebrate virtually
- Keep the celebration within your household
- Limit the number of guests
- Avoid direct contact (i.e. handshaking, hugs) from different households
- Ask guests to avoid contact with people outside of their household at least 14 days before the gathering
- Host the gathering outdoors (avoid indoor or poorly ventilated spaces); if indoors, open windows and doors weather permitting
- Shorten the duration of the gathering; a cumulative total exposure of 15 minutes or greater increases the risk of transmission
- Practice social distancing (at least 6 feet apart)
- Wear masks when not eating or drinking
- Frequent handwashing for at least 20 seconds, especially after eating
- Have hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol readily available
- Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces
- Stock your bathroom with soap and single use towels
- Limit commonly touched surfaces like serving utensils; consider one person to serve food and/or individually packaged items
- Offer no-touch trash cans
- Avoid letting pets interact with guests outside of the household
- Avoid gatherings in communities with a high or increasing levels of COVID-19
- Consider the location of where guests are traveling from as well as the mode of travel (i.e. flying) that may increase the risk of transmission
- Do not host or attend gatherings if anyone in the household has symptoms of COVID-19, may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, waiting for results, older or immunocompromised, or diagnosed with COVID-19 and has not completed their quarantine period (usually between 10 to 20 days from when symptoms first appeared)
