Submitted by Aimee Brown
The following excerpt is from our Employee Assistance
Program (EAP) with Kepro (also posted to SharePoint).
With the
holiday season approaching, families are grappling with how to manage
expectations and what celebrations will look like this year. Pandemic fatigue
is setting in and people are craving togetherness and the desire to uphold
family traditions. This holiday season may look different for many of us, so
careful planning and being well informed about the safety guidelines for social
gatherings are key to having a safe and happy holiday.
For many there
is a psychological benefit to being together. We all want to stay healthy, and
avoid inadvertently spreading COVID to others, while at the same time balancing
our emotional need to connect with others. It’s important to familiarize
yourself with national and state guidelines for social gatherings. By visiting
credible sources, such as the CDC website or state and county health
department’s websites, you can become familiar with the guidelines for safely
gathering this holiday season.
The safest way for you to spend the holidays
is virtually or with members of your household. For most people this means sacrificing what they
typically look forward to, for the sake of not assuming added risks. The payoff
is health and safety. There are still ways to make the most of staying home,
including hosting a virtual celebration. There are even fun online trivia,
board games, and card games that can be organized and played live in a group.
Decided to stay
home this year? Talk about it early, so that people can adjust and come to
terms with the change. You can say “we’ve been thinking things over and this is
so difficult, but we just really can’t assume the risk this year”.
Outdoor
celebrations present less risk than indoor gatherings, but are not risk-free.
To aide in keeping everyone safe:
Wear a mask
and social distance
Seating
should be spaced out
Food serving
should be limited to certain people who will agree to follow safety precautions
(hand washing, wearing a mask while prepping and serving food, wearing gloves)
Be sure to
wash or sanitize hands frequently
Establish
“grab-and-go” stations and implement a policy that if you touch it, you take
it, or have guests bring their own food and drink
Indoor
celebrations are less ideal due to decreased ventilation and space constraints
that make distancing more challenging. You may want to consider:
Wearing masks
and social distance
Opening doors
and windows to help with ventilation
Have a few
people designated as food servers who follow established protocols
Limit contact
with commonly touched surfaces
Avoid any
self-serve food or drink items; no buffets
With both
outdoor and indoor celebrations, keep the following in mind:
Shorter
gatherings with less people pose less risk than longer gatherings with higher
numbers of participants.
If travel
will be necessary, driving is safer than flying.
Consider
asking everyone to get a COVID-19 test a week prior to the event and then
quarantining between testing and seeing others.
Discuss how
an exposure or diagnosis would be communicated to everyone.
Check whether
you will face mandatory quarantines from your local jurisdiction, workplace, or
child’s school if you go to an area with high community transmission.
Whether you are
hosting or are attending an event, it is important to establish agreed upon
ground rules with all participating in the event and incorporate the
recommendations above. Clear communication before, during, and after the event
is essential to putting health and safety concerns at ease.
Whatever you
decide is best for you, be sure to check your local health and safety guidelines,
and any changes as the holidays approach. During this time of health crisis,
impromptu gatherings are not ideal and may present risk if all in attendance
are not on the same page regarding the ground rules. Pre-planning is more
important this year than ever before. Assess
current COVID-19 levels in the community hosting the gathering, as well as
where any guests are traveling from. By taking those steps, looking out for
each other, and planning ahead, holidays can still provide the boost that we
need right now.
Kepro - Your
Employee Assistance Program is available anytime,
any day, and gives you free, confidential access to professional consultants
and online resources to help you be your best. Just call or log on to get
started.
TOLL-FREE:
1.833.276.0988
WEBSITE: www.EAPHelplink.com
CODE:
Georgia
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html
All good reminders. Thank you for posting!
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