The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and isolating for many people. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, families, and communities healthy and safe. Following are some safety considerations to keep in mind for small gatherings.  

​Considerations for Small Gatherings of Family and Friends

Celebrating virtually or with members of your own household (who are consistently taking measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19) poses the lowest risk for spread. Your household is anyone who currently lives and shares common spaces in your housing unit (such as your house or apartment). This can include family members, as well as roommates or people who are unrelated to you. People who do not currently live in your housing unit, such as college students who are returning home from school for the holidays, should be considered part of different households. In-person gatherings that bring together family members or friends from different households, including college students returning home, pose varying levels of risk.
Organizers and attendees of larger events should consider the risk of virus spread based on event size (number of attendees and other factors) and take steps to reduce the possibility of infection, as outlined in the Considerations for Events and Gatherings.

​Holiday celebrations

Holiday celebrations will likely need to be different this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Avoid activities that are higher risk for spread. Consider fun alternatives that pose lower risk of spreading COVID-19. The holidays are a time when many families travel long distances to celebrate together. Travel increases the chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others. If you must travel, be informed of the risks involved.

Lower risk activities

• Having a small dinner with only people who live in your household
• Preparing traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others
• Having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family
• Shopping online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving or the next Monday
• Watching sports events, parades, and movies from home

Moderate risk activities

• Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community
• Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cook-outs.
• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
• Attending a small outdoor sports events with safety precautions in place

Higher risk activities

Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:

• Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving
• Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race
• Attending crowded parades
• Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household
• Using alcohol or drugs that may alter judgment and make it more difficult to practice COVID-19 safety measures.

We hope you enjoy the holidays and take steps to protect yourself and your family from getting or spreading COVID-19 during small events & gatherings.

​Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updated Nov. 27, 2020

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 1. As you prepare to set your clocks back one hour, remember to check the batteries in your carbon monoxide (CO) detector. If you don’t have a battery-powered or battery back-up CO alarm, now is a great time to buy one. More than 400 people die each year in the United States from unintentional, non-fire related CO poisoning.

CO is found in fumes produced by furnaces, vehicles, generators, stoves, lanterns, gas ranges, or burning charcoal or wood. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces can be poisoned and can die from breathing CO.
When power outages occur during emergencies such as severe winter storms, the use of alternative sources of power for heating or cooking can cause CO to build up in a home, garage, or camper and to poison the people and animals inside.

​You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Do

• Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
• Install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall.
• Leave your home immediately and call 911 if your CO detector ever sounds. Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseated.

Don’t

• Run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.
• Burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn’t vented.
• Heat your house with a gas oven.
• Use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or outside less than 20 feet from a window, door, or vent.

CO poisoning is entirely preventable. You can protect yourself and your family by learning the symptoms of CO poisoning and acting wisely during a power outage.

It's getting close to Halloween time and with COVID-19 still around we need to be cautious and celebrate safely. Here's some Halloween safety tips from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):

​Steps to Take when Trick or Treating: Traditional Halloween activities are fun, but some can increase the risk of getting or spreading COVID-19 or influenza. Plan alternate ways to participate in Halloween.

Make trick-or-treating safer

• Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters.
• Give out treats outdoors, if possible.
• Set up a station with individually bagged treats for kids to take.
• Wash hands before handling treats.
• Wear a mask.

​Wear a mask

• Make your cloth mask part of your costume.
• A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask.
• Do NOT wear a costume mask over a cloth mask. It can make breathing more difficult.
• Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing

​Stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you

• Indoors and outdoors, you are more likely to get or spread COVID-19 when you are in close contact with others for a long time.

​Wash your hands

• Bring hand sanitizer with you and use it after touching objects or other people.
• Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Parents: supervise young children using hand sanitizer.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when you get home and before you eat any treats.

​Steps to Take for Other Halloween Activities: Enjoy Halloween activities and take steps to protect yourself from getting or spreading COVID-19.

Remember to always

• Wear a cloth mask
• Indoors and outdoors, stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently

​Decorate and carve pumpkins

• Decorate your home for Halloween.
• Carve pumpkins with members of your household or outside with neighbors or friends.
• Walk from house to house, admiring Halloween decorations at a distance.

​Visit an orchard, forest, or corn maze. Attend a scavenger hunt.

• Go on an outdoor Halloween-themed scavenger hunt.
• Visit a pumpkin patch or orchard. Remember to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently, especially after touching frequently touched surfaces, pumpkins, or apples.
• Go to a one-way, walk-through haunted forest or corn maze.

​Other Ideas

• Hide Halloween treats in and around your house. Hold a Halloween treat hunt with household members.
• Hold an outdoor costume parade or contest so everyone can show off their costumes.
• Host an outdoor Halloween movie night with friends or neighbors or an indoor movie night with your household members.