COVID-19 and the Holidays

11/16/2020

The holiday season is happening! Thanksgiving is next week! And we all know that this season will be a little different as COVID-19 has really changed so many of our daily routines and how we will be celebrating the holidays.  As we all know this is the time of year when so many of us reconnect with family and friends; but unfortunately, it looks like holiday plans may need to be modified as the pandemic is worsening.

Whether you are hosting a gathering or visiting someone’s home, the holiday season will be bringing people from different households together. This means that the chance of spreading Covid-19 will be greatly increased. To help control this disease, the CDC has established some specific considerations and it looks like they will be placing a damper on what is supposed to be a very festive occasion. Health experts are now articulating the importance to limit the number of guests we have. This may be difficult as far as family relations go but make no mistake, these are unusual times. Below are several guidelines for Thanksgiving dinners to help this occasion to be as joyful as possible while keeping hosts and guests safe during these difficult times.     

• Check the COVID-19 infection rates in areas where attendees live on state, local, territorial, or tribal health department websites. Based on the current status of the pandemic, consider if it is safe to hold or attend the gathering on the proposed date.
• Limit the number of attendees as much as possible to allow people from different households to remain at least 6 feet apart at all times. Guests should avoid direct contact, including handshakes and hugs, with others not from their household.
• Host outdoor rather than indoor gatherings as much as possible. Even outdoors, require guests to wear masks when not eating or drinking.
• Avoid holding gatherings in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces with persons who are not in your household.
• Increase ventilation by opening windows and doors to the extent that is safe and feasible based on the weather, or by placing central air and heating on continuous circulation. Opening windows may not be feasible as Thanksgiving frequently occurs during times of cold weather (Bbbbbrrrr!).
• If setting up outdoor seating under a pop-up open air tent, ensure guests are still seated with physical distancing in mind. Enclosed 4-wall tents will have less air circulation than open air tents. If outdoor temperature or weather forces you to put up the tent sidewalls, consider leaving one or more sides open or rolling up the bottom 12” of each sidewall to enhance ventilation while still providing a wind break.
• Require guests to wear masks. At gatherings that include persons of different households, everyone should always wear a mask that covers both the mouth and nose, except when eating or drinking. It is also important to stay at least 6 feet away from people who are not in your household at all times.
• Encourage guests to avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors. Keep music levels down so people don’t have to shout or speak loudly to be heard.
• Encourage attendees to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Provide guests information about any COVID-19 safety guidelines and steps that will be in place at the gathering to prevent the spread of the virus.
• Provide and/or encourage attendees to bring supplies to help everyone to stay healthy. These include extra masks (do not share or swap with others), hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, and tissues. Stock bathrooms with enough hand soap and single use towels.
• Use touchless garbage cans if available. Use gloves when removing garbage bags or handling and disposing of trash. Wash hands after removing gloves.
• Plan ahead and ask guests to avoid contact with people outside of their households for 14 days before the gathering.
• Treat pets as you would other human family members – do not let pets interact with people outside the household.
• Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items such as serving utensils.
• Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces and any shared items between use when feasible.

Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or eating is associated with directly spreading COVID-19. It is possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, including food, food packaging, or utensils that have the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way that the virus is spread. Remember, it is always important to follow food safety practices to reduce the risk of illness from common foodborne germs. While preparing food, the CDC has offered a few things to consider:

• Encourage guests to bring food and drinks for themselves and for members of their own household only; avoid potluck-style gatherings.
• Wear a mask while preparing food for or serving food to others who don’t live in your household.
• All attendees should have a plan for where to store their mask while eating and drinking. Keep it in a dry, breathable bag (like a paper or mesh fabric bag) to keep it clean between uses.
• Limit people going in and out of the areas where food is being prepared or handled, such as in the kitchen or around the grill, if possible.
• Have one person who is wearing a mask serve all the food so that multiple people are not handling the serving utensils.

Granted, all these recommendations seem to make life a little difficult for having the traditional Thanksgiving celebration. But hopefully, by practicing these steps now and through new developments, next year we may all enjoy the type of Thanksgiving for which we have all known and cherished.   

I am of certain convinced that the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel

Florence Nightingale