Tips On Having A Safer Thanksgiving Holiday From Fairfax Health Department

Press release from the City of Fairfax:

11/13/2020 5:29 PM

The Fairfax County Health Department has published the following tips and ideas on how to have a safer Thanksgiving holiday.

As the Thanksgiving and winter holidays approach, many residents may be wondering how to celebrate safely this season. While travel and large gatherings are typically common during this time of year, it is still vital to remember that we all have an important role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

We must not let our guard down, even around friends and family, and should continue to practice safe gathering practices and social distancing. Even though how we celebrate might look a little different this year, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy Thanksgiving and celebrate safely.

We encourage you to make this your most relaxing Thanksgiving ever by following the guidelines below.

Higher-risk activities that are not recommended this year include:

• 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.

Some additional alternatives that have been determined to have a moderate level of risk include:

• Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community.
• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching produce, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing.
• Attending small outdoor sports events with safety precautions in place.

Activities for the upcoming holiday that are considered lower risk include:

• Having a small dinner with people who live in your household.
• Having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family.
• Preparing recipes for family and neighbors and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others. This is a great option for sharing the holiday spirit with those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
• Shopping online (rather than in person) on the day after Thanksgiving and other sales holidays.
• Watching sports events, parades and movies from home.

As always, here are a few additional things to consider as you plan your holidays:

• If you or anyone in your household has COVID-19, has symptoms of COVID-19, are waiting for test results, or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person activities and should not share food with others. People with increased risk for severe illness should also avoid in-person gatherings with non-household members and consider lower risk activities.
• You can further lower your risk during holiday get-togethers by following CDC’s recommendations on holiday celebrations and hosting gatherings or cook-outs.
• If you are preparing meals for others, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before beginning your meal prep. Learn more about food safety.
• Traveling increases the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Find out more about traveling during the pandemic.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.