How to Safely Handle the Holidays during a Pandemic

As the holiday season begins, so too does another COVID-19 surge, what does this mean for Holiday gatherings?

With an increase in cases locally, state-wide, and nationally—we are at a critical moment regarding the health of ourselves, our loved ones, and our community. When it comes to celebrating holidays and gathering your families together, please consider making adjustments to your traditional plans:

• Keep your holiday gatherings limited to people living in the same household. This is the safest way to celebrate. Increasing the number of people in your home or the number of people you surround yourself with also increases the opportunity for the virus to spread.
• This year is not the year to be traveling out of state to get together with those that are not a part of your immediate family. Many states have high-rates of COVID-19 and travel increases your risk of exposure and the risk of transmission to others, including those who may have complications from COVID-19.
• While not traditional by any means, consider hosting a virtual holiday event where you virtually gather around the table with friends and family. You can make it fun by suggesting a theme, such as an ugly sweater soiree or a pajama party, and have everyone submit their favorite songs for a holiday playlist to be shared. To further expand upon the feeling of togetherness, share your family's traditional holiday menus for all to recreate in their own homes.

We understand and empathize with the level of COVID fatigue that is setting in, but as we continue to see rising cases, it is important that we all adhere to public health guidelines. To help keep you and your loved ones healthy, we urge you to:

• Wear a mask whenever you are in public
• Practice social distancing, remaining at least six feet from others even when wearing a mask
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and sanitize frequently
• Observe the state's stay-at-home advisory from 10pm-5am and limit private gatherings to 10 people
• Stay up to date on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest guidance
• Get your flu shot if you have not already
• Stay home when you are not feeling well and talk to your doctor about a COVID test if you think you may need one

Thank you to our community for your support throughout the pandemic. Please help us reduce the spread in our community by following the guidelines and recommendations above, for more information please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. Small sacrifices now will help benefit all of us as we continue to navigate through the next few months.