“It’s Not Going to Be the Same This Year”
The amount of times we have heard or repeated that phrase in 2020 is probably too many to count, but that is the reality we live in. So here goes “It’s not Going to Be the Same This Year”…Thanksgiving that is.
As cases of coronavirus continue to surge all over the Country, people travelling to see family to attend indoor holiday celebrations because the cold weather has made anything outdoor undesirable could potentially cause cases to skyrocket.
According to updated guidance from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the safest way to celebrate is by keeping your dinner guest list as small as possible by cutting it down to “the people you live with” (no out of state relatives) and having it outdoors. While that may be the “safest way”, some things may be unavoidable.
To keep things as safe as possible, without increasing your risk of contracting or spreading the virus:
If outdoors is not an option, this is what dinner inside should look like:
- Pick a room with the largest amount of space where you can maintain distance more easily
- Make sure to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces (tables, doorknobs, counter tops, toilets, faucets, sinks, light switches etc.)
- Keep as many windows open as possible
- Position fans at windows facing outward to help with ventilation.
If dinner outdoors is an option, this is what it should look like:
- If using a tent, make sure 2 or more walls are open
- Dinner in a “Sealed” Tent is not the same as eating outside
- Seat everyone 6 feet apart
Whether dinner is inside or outside, consider the following safety measures:
- The kitchen during Thanksgiving Dinner is where the magic happens, however it’s also the place where contamination can very easily happen if strict safety protocols aren’t followed.
- Keep the dinner guest list limited, keep the kitchen guestlist “VIP”
- restrict the amount of people in the kitchen to as few as possible at all times
- Have a big bottle of hand sanitizer at the table, or small individual ones for each guest
- Try to use disposable items like food containers, plates, and utensils
- Do not pass food around the table
- Choose one person or as few people as possible to serve food and drinks
- Anyone serving should wash their hands often and properly.
- When not eating or drinking wear masks
Yes, Thanksgiving is not going to be the same this year.
“It is unfortunate, because that’s such a sacred part of American tradition, the family gathering around Thanksgiving, but that is a risk,” Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert. While it is unfortunate, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are living through a Pandemic, the sacrifices we make now are a small price to pay for health and safety.
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