Have A COVID-19 Safe Thanksgiving
Nothing says Thanksgiving like hand sanitizer and masks, amiright? No? Just us?
Thanksgiving might not look the way it did in the good old days of, say, 2019, but there’s no reason why you can’t have a fantastic holiday, as long as you think a few things through first.
The Size of Your Group
Hard fact: the smaller your group, the safer you all are. Fewer people means less risk of virus exposure. But we’re realists and we know that if you invite your cousin, then you have to invite your husband’s recently separated boss, and then what are you going to do about Aunt Dottie, who brings her dodgy canapes that we all know were made three days ago and haven’t been refrigerated since.
Go Ahead and Ask
There are certain questions you just can’t ask your guests, like “how much do you weigh?” and “how old are you?” and “who did you vote for in the last election?” These are NOT questions that will contribute to your health, safety, or the overall Thanksgiving experience.
“Are you vaccinated?”, however, will.
It’s your party, and you are well within your rights to invite only vaccinated people if that makes you more comfortable. And yes, you are well within your rights to ask for proof of vaccination. It’s a safety matter. Those who are unvaccinated are much more likely to get sick or die from the virus, and feeling responsible for someone’s death isn’t generally high on anyone’s Thanksgiving list.
In fact, unvaccinated people are also more likely to transmit the virus to others, even the vaccinated, although the vaccinated are less likely to get really sick or die.
But you may decide that you are fine with a mix of vaccinated people and unvaccinated people. And if you do, you might need to put a bit more thought into who you’re having over and even where they’re coming from. Regardless, these are good questions to know the answers to:
Is there anyone you’d like to have over who is immune compromised or who would fair more poorly should they catch the virus?
Where are your guests coming from?
Is it from places where COVID rates are high?
A place where there has been a recent uptick in cases?
How are your guests traveling? Plane? Train? Automobile?
Will some guests be staying overnight?
If your guests are from outside of the country, do they have travel health insurance? Does it cover COVID-related illnesses. If their country has advised against travel, they might find their claim denied, and that could result in a bill that comes to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Great Outdoors
It’s not possible for everyone, but an outdoor Thanksgiving is your safest bet, and, really, what a perfect way to celebrate all that you are thankful for. Break out the laptops to watch the game -- or go all out and build that outdoor entertainment center you’ve been threatening to build for a while. You don’t need to go inside and watch the game on TV.
Slight chill in the air? Consider outdoor patio heaters. Or you can rent or buy a canopy.
For the host, the best plan of action is to do the serving and be the one bringing the food out and in rather than having guests go inside and serve themselves.
The Great Indoors:
But we know most people will still have their Thanksgiving inside. It’s what we’re used to, and old habits die hard, even in a pandemic. There are best practices to follow, and you know them by heart by now:
Keep distance between people
mask up, except when eating
Use air purifiers
Keep doors and windows open to get a cross breeze
Put out and encourage the use of hand sanitizers
But as the celebration goes on, some of these, especially the space between people and the masking will probably fall by the wayside. You certainly have less to worry about if your guests are vaccinated.
The Bathroom:
Have hand sanitizers in the bathroom and separate hand towels for guests. You can consider paper hand towels or you can change the towels frequently to cut down on exposure. You can even have a whole stack of hand towels with a decorative basket your guests can deposit their used towels into.
Make sure your guests are on the same page as you about COVID
You will want to tell your group well in advance what to expect of your get together, and, frankly, they’ll want to know, too. Some may choose not to come if they know that others will be unvaccinated; meanwhile, others may decline your oh-so-kind invitation if it means they must have a vaccine to join your special day.
But whatever you decide, you and your guests deserve clarity. The last thing you want to do is wait until guests start arriving and ask them at the door. That is a recipe for total disaster, and frankly, Aunt Dottie has that market cornered. Whether or not you invite her, well, that’s up to you.