With Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, and Christmas following not far behind, the BC Center For Disease Control has released guidelines around gatherings this holiday season.
The organization says if you plan to host holiday parties this year, do your best to keep them small, local and within your social group.
You should also try to celebrate outside when/if you can but if you plan to have an indoor gathering, here are a few recommendations from the CDC:
- Keep your gathering small, and try to limit it to the “stick to six” social group rule.
- Check-in with guests before they arrive to make sure that they are feeling well and don’t have symptoms or recent contact with a confirmed case.
- Visit in larger rooms where there is more space for people to sit or stand farther apart.
- Choose well-ventilated spaces (spaces where there is lots of fresh air) and open windows if you can.
- Limit your time indoors together (the less time you spend in a confined space together, the better). For example, consider offering “just dessert” rather than a long meal.
- And encourage non-contact greetings such as elbow bumps or waves to reduce physical contact.
With the main focus of both occasions usually being the food, the BCCDC says while there is no evidence that COVID-19 is spread from eating food prepared by others, you should avoid making food for others if you feel sick, have tested positive for COVID-19, or are self-isolating.
Some other food safety tips include having only one person plate meals instead of having a buffet-style dinner, seat guests as far apart as possible and consider assigning seats based on household or social groups.
More information can be found on the BC Center for Disease Control’s website.
