Anna Maria Island is a place where families from all over the country – and the world – come to relax and reunite, especially over the holidays.
But as the coronavirus pandemic is revving up into high gear once again, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control have compiled comprehensive advice for you to consider before planning to travel and host or attend holiday meals and parties in this unusual and challenging holiday season.
Travel
2020 COVID-19 cases on Anna Maria Island
Source: Florida Department of Health
Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 this year, according to the CDC. Before you decide to travel, ask:
- Are you or anyone you will be visiting at increased risk for COVID-19 due to age or medical conditions?
- Are cases high or increasing in your community or destination? Check CDC.gov, which reports that cases are rising in the U.S.
- Are hospitals in your community or destination overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients? Check state and local public health department websites.
- Do your plans include traveling by bus, train, or air, which makes staying 6 feet apart difficult, or by car, which requires rest stops and gas station stops that can expose you to COVID-19?
- Does your home or destination have requirements or restrictions for travelers?
- During the 14 days before you travel, have you or those you are visiting had close contact with people they don’t live with?
- Are you traveling with people who don’t live with you?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you should not travel, according to the CDC.
The CDC advises that you do not host or attend a holiday gathering if you:
- are at increased risk due to age or health conditions,
- have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days,
- are showing COVID-19 symptoms,
- have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or
- are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test.
Gatherings
The lowest-risk way to have a holiday gathering in 2020 is to schedule separate holiday celebrations simultaneously and connect by Zoom or a similar method, according to the CDC. But having meals with only the people who live in your household is also low risk, as is preparing and delivering meals for family and neighbors with no contact.
A moderately-risky option is having meals outdoors with a few family and friends, if they live in your community.
The highest-risk gatherings are indoor meals or parties with people you do not live with or near – the more people, the higher the risk.
Serving or using alcohol increases the risk by altering judgment and making it more difficult to practice safety measures.
Anyone who lives or works with people at higher risk should consider the potential risk to them before attending gatherings.
To reduce risk at a gathering:
- Hosts and guests should strictly avoid contact with people outside of their households for 14 days before the gathering and should follow COVID-19 safety measures at home.
- Keep gatherings short.
- Wear masks with two or more layers, except when eating and drinking, and make sure they are worn over your nose and mouth and fit snugly along the sides of your face. Hosts should have a clean supply of disposable masks.
- Keep a 6-foot social distance, including at tables. People from the same household should sit at their own tables.
- Wash hands often, especially before preparing, serving or eating food. Guests should wash hands or use hand sanitizer (60% alcohol or more) for at least 20 seconds when entering and leaving gatherings. Hosts should supply paper towels or single-use hand towels in restrooms instead of cloth towels and may also provide cleaning supplies that allow guests to wipe down surfaces before they use or leave the restroom.
- Gather outdoors or open windows indoors.
- Verbally greet people instead of shaking hands, hugging or elbow bumping.
- Encourage guests to bring their own food and drinks.
- Do not use a buffet or drink station.
- Limit people going in and out of the kitchen or gathering around the outdoor grill.
- Limit the number of people cooking and serving food.
- Provide single-use condiments to avoid multiple people from handling the same items.
- Use disposable napkins, plates, cups, utensils and tablecloths.
- Limit indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25 people.
If you aren’t comfortable with the level of risk involved, consider canceling or not attending the event.
If you are exposed or get sick
After any holiday event, if you feel that you may have been exposed to COVID-19, take extra precautions for 14 days. Avoid being around people, especially those at increased risk of severe illness with COVID-19, and consider getting tested. While you are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test, stay at home and follow safety measures. If you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, immediately inform the host and other guests who attended the event (hosts should keep a list of guests for contact tracing). This can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that others get tested or self-quarantine.
