COVID Holiday Safety
As we enter the holiday season, many of us are making plans and deciding whether it’s safe to spend time with family, friends and loved ones. While we strongly encourage patients to consider virtual and socially distanced gatherings, we understand that not everyone will choose to forgo holiday plans.
While recent vaccine news looks promising, nationwide distribution is not expected until December at the earliest and will focus on frontline healthcare workers and high-risk populations. We recognize that after a difficult year of lock downs, mask usage and isolation, people are experiencing Coronavirus Burnout and Pandemic Fatigue. Unfortunately, as nationwide cases continue to reach record highs, it is essential that we follow safety guidelines and recommendations.
When considering COVID holiday safety, we’ve provided key recommendations that may help reduce your risk. The Clinical Team at Southwest Orlando Family Medicine has reviewed the latest CDC Holiday guidelines and offers the following recommendations for you and your loved ones to celebrate the holidays safely.
Create A Holiday Bubble
Create a Holiday Bubble with your loved ones by committing to following safety guidelines at home and in the community. CDC guidelines include frequent hand washing, maintaining social distancing, wearing a mask and avoiding locations that do not follow these guidelines. A Holiday or Social Bubble is a small group that follows the same safety guidelines and restricts higher risk activities, which may vary depending on your group.
It’s important to identify your risks as a group and any activities that may be off limits to be part of your bubble. For example, your Holiday Bubble may only include those who are working from home or those who are not participating in community events. Your small group Holiday Bubbles may also agree to only do take-out or to-go orders from restaurants and bars, in order to decrease the amount of time spent indoors without masks. Please review the CDC guidelines regarding Personal and Social Activities for more information on how to stay safe when you leave your house.
The right bubble for you may be different than others, depending on your risks and concerns. Discuss these guidelines and agree to follow masking and distancing guidelines, as well as any other rules you may set.
Ask Tough Questions
Part of creating a Holiday Bubble and deciding whether you will see and spend time with loved ones involves asking tough questions. It’s important to be honest and respectful of each other and understand that safety choices and risk aversion during these times may not be the same for everyone. We advise you to keep an open mind when it comes to understanding the fears and concerns of family members and their risks for COVID. Safety is crucial as we work hard to celebrate with each other in a low-risk manner.
Here are some important questions to ask of yourself and others:
Safety Guidelines
Are you following hand washing, masking and social distancing guidelines?
Follow these guidelines carefully and consistently: mask usage, social distancing, avoiding high-risk settings, avoiding unnecessary travel, regular hand washing.
Are you going out during the week, other than for grocery or high need and essential items?
Non-essential social activities may include things like indoor dining, entertainment activities, going to the gym, visiting bars, playing sports and more. If participating, it’s important to continue to follow hand washing, masking and social distancing guidelines.
Are you interacting with people outside of your household on a regular basis?
Are non-household members following the same safety guidelines as you are? Do you know if they are seeing others and participating in higher risk social activities? Because of how COVID-19 spreads, it’s important to know the interactive history of those around you.
Do you need to travel on public transportation to attend holiday plans?
Public transportation may include buses, trains or planes to attend a gathering. Be sure to check COVID travel guidelines before you travel. If you do travel, it’s important to maintain distance from others.
Risk Assessment
Are you or your loved ones considered a high-risk individual?
High-risk individuals include those aged 65 and older with chronic conditions, those with immune concerns, and those with other health concerns.
Are you participating in events that may increase your risk?
Social events, busy stores without mask usage, theme parks, recreational travel, public transportation such as busses, trains, and planes without masking or distancing may all put you or a loved one at higher risk.
What are your behaviors in the weeks before a gathering?
If you have a Holiday Bubble, be sure you are following the rules you’ve agreed upon with your loved ones. Commit to avoiding non-essential outings in the weeks before you gather to help reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19.
Do you have family members that are unable to stay home or isolate regularly?
Children in schools, parents or family members that work in offices or retail, households regularly participating in social activities without proper enforcement of guidelines, these may all be factors in deciding what to do for the holidays.
What’s Your COVID Plan?
Are you ready to cancel or stay home if you or a loved one becomes sick prior to your gathering?
This kind of decision can be difficult to make in the heat of the moment. It’s a good idea to set this rule before your holiday gatherings and to refrain from pressuring people to attend if they are concerned about their safety of the safety of others.
Are you ready to cancel or stay home if you are concerned that you or a loved one may have been exposed to COVID?
Remember that COVID Rapid Testing still requires an incubation period before it can produce accurate results, and these should not be relied upon as the sole resource for whether you cancel attendance. Consider the adage, better safe than sorry.
Can you hold a virtual gathering for those at risk?
There are plenty of virtual options, including Zoom (which is offering unlimited video conferencing for free on Thanksgiving), Google Meet, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Facebook and more.
Make Your Holidays Safer
“The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is to celebrate with people in your household,” the CDC advises. If you do plan to spend Thanksgiving with people outside your household, here are some ways to make your gathering safer.
Masking and Distancing
Have a mask rule in place when in close proximity with friends or family that do not live in your household, especially while indoors. It’s okay to sit across the room from someone and wear a mask when with you’re with family and loves ones if it makes someone more comfortable or helps prevent concern for exposure. Distancing indoors may be difficult, but you can consider having multiple tables if two or more households are coming together. Or, go for a picnic-style gathering with an outdoor option for guests that provide distance between households. If you do decide to gather together, limit any gathering to under 10 persons.
Hand Washing, Food Safety and Sanitary Practices
Have plenty of soap on hand and remind family members to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth whenever possible, and be sure to wash your hands if you do. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces throughout the day.
You can also serve finger foods and individual serving sizes to avoid potential cross contamination. Be sure to keep the kitchen off limits to guests and consider having those who are joining bring their own disposal utensils.
COVID Testing
If you develop symptoms or come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you can schedule an appointment with us for rapid testing. Please be aware that rapid testing kits are limited due to demand and that your screening questions will help facilitate your access to these tests. We are targeting people with exposure for testing (5-7 days after potential exposure). Visit our Patient Advisory page to learn more about COVID Rapid Testing.
Safe and Happy Holidays
Let’s all work together to have a safe and happy holiday season. Create a Holiday Bubble with your loved ones, ask the tough questions to ensure safety for all involved, consider some alternatives like an outdoor or virtual gathering and remember to listen to each other and respect those who may be concerned about their risks of COVID. Wishing all of you a blessed, safe and happy holiday season from Southwest Orlando Family Medicine.
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Disclaimer: All information presented on this website is intended for educational purposes only and not intended to replace your individual medical advice. Please review this information with your clinical team to ensure it is appropriate for your individual medical needs. The information contained is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.