Let’s say there are two healthy families of four. If the children were not vaccinated in any of the houses, but all the adults were, you can consider inviting people in, as long as the windows are open and everyone is wearing masks, said Dr. Asaf Bitton, a primary care physician who runs a public health research laboratory service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. If children in either home are vaccinated and only a group of adults have been vaccinated, he and other experts said an outdoor meeting with masks and distance would be safer.
You may also be wondering if your unvaccinated children can finally receive a hug and kiss from their healthy, vaccinated grandmother. On this issue, the opinions of experts differ. But in general, if everyone is healthy and you feel comfortable accepting a certain degree of risk, a hug or kiss is probably fine.
“The probability that my child will transmit a virus that ends up causing a serious illness in my vaccinated parents is very, very low,” said Barocas.
Likewise, he added, a vaccinated adult is unlikely to transmit the virus to a child. That said, experts have advised you to do what looks right for you and your family.
“I think everyone who goes on this visit needs to understand that we are balancing risks and benefits,” said Dr. Adam Ratner, director of the pediatric infectious disease division at NYU Langone Children’s Hospital Hassenfeld. But, he added, if the grandparents are vaccinated, “I am a professional in hugs and kisses.”
Jennifer Rogers, 46, a Philadelphia lawyer, said her husband and two children, aged 8 and 11, will celebrate Easter by visiting their parents’ home for several hours. They are planning to do an Easter egg hunt outdoors and destroy a coronavirus-shaped piñata. But the children, who will join Rogers’ sister and his sister’s son, will wear masks. Mrs. Rogers and her husband have been vaccinated, but plan to wear masks as well, as their family has recently returned from vacation in Florida.
“It still feels like a loss, as if it weren’t the same as before,” said Rogers, whose family usually spends the night at their parents’ during the holiday.