This may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the pandemic is still taking its toll in an already difficult 2020, effectively changing Christmas as we know it. Now, many of us struggle to find a safe and festive way to spend the holiday. But the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued another warning to Americans on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve, urging everyone to avoid the temptation to travel or host large personal gatherings. Read on to see what this could mean for your Christmas plans and for more information on how to stay safe, see This is who is most likely to give you COVID now.
In a tweet posted on December 23, the CDC sent a last-minute appeal for citizens to be safe by not going to the roads or sky this year, and to limit exposure to just celebrating with people from their own families. “Stay at home to better protect yourself and others from # COVID19 this holiday season“, emphasized the CDC.
The social media post is the agency’s latest effort to promote the updated statement posted earlier this month, begging Americans to cancel their travel and celebration plans to avoid creating an increase in new cases at a time when hospitals in many areas of the country they are already overloaded and with maximum capacity. “The best thing that Americans can do for the next holiday season is to stay home and not travel.” Henry Walke, COVID-19 incident manager for CDC, told reporters in early December. “Cases are increasing. Hospitalizations are increasing, deaths are increasing. We need to try to double the curve, stop this exponential increase.”
Unfortunately, the warning also comes just days after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that the weekend before Christmas saw its largest recorded number of travelers since the start of the pandemic, surpassing one million people each day to a total of three days of 3.2 million passengers, The Washington Post reports.
Still, the CDC recommends some activities that can help to keep the celebrations festive and this year. Read on to see what they suggest and for more information on how to reduce your risk of infection, make sure you’re not doing it, your mask won’t protect you, study says.
Read the original article at Better life.
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Organize a virtual vacation meal with friends and family.
In its tweet, the CDC points out that planning to enjoy your vacation meal with loved ones through Zoom or FaceTime can help make the day more special. “Celebrating virtually or with members of your own home (who are consistently taking steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19) presents the least risk of spread,” says the CDC holiday celebration statement.
Still, the agency is careful to point out that family is “anyone who currently lives and shares common spaces in their housing unit (such as their home or apartment)”, including roommates and non-relatives. If family members who do not normally live at home are present, such as college students who visit the home after living in a dorm, adequate safety measures still need to be taken. And for more information on how the pandemic is evolving, see Dr. Fauci just gave an alert on the new COVID strain in the USA
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Get together for a virtual gift exchange.
Being able to see the expression of surprise on someone’s face when opening the perfect gift does not have to disappear just because of the pandemic. The agency suggests turning on your webcam when opening gifts and organizing an exchange to make things look more like a traditional party. And for more information on places that are fighting the pandemic, see This state now has the worst COVID outbreak in the U.S.
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Decorate your home.
So far, 2020 has been the year of working at home, cooking at home and perfecting your home. Why not take the holidays as the perfect excuse to brighten things up? Get into the spirit by literally decorating the hallways, placing decorations, hanging lights, decorating a tree or setting up an outdoor display. And for more COVID updates, sign up for our daily newsletter.
4
Make festive crafts.
Finding constructive ways to spend time at home has become a hobby this year. The CDC recommends capturing the Christmas spirit by making some festive crafts, which can be even more fun by joining virtually friends and family via video chat. This can include everything from tying popcorn and garlands to baking a fresh batch of delicious cookies, which you can display on Instagram. And to find out more about how the coronavirus suddenly changed, see A White House official just gave this warning about the new COVID mutation.