As of Monday, November 16th, 2020, Orange County is one of several areas across the state to move back to California’s most restrictive Purple Tier. According to California Governor, Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health, this directive was put in place to address the significant increase of lab confirmed COVID-19 cases and to protect the state’s health care system.
What does this mean for the upcoming holiday? Here’s what you need to know:
According to the state’s new guidelines, you should not gather with more than three healthy households. They’re also asking not to mix households, which means you should only interact with the same families for all activities.
When it comes to celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday, the CDC has released additional guidelines for those hosting or attending an event.
Hosting a Gathering
- Remind guests to stay home if they are sick.
- Remind invited guests to stay home if they have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days or are showing COVID-19 symptoms. Anyone who has had close contact with a person who has COVID-19 should also stay home and monitor their health. Invited guests who live with those at higher risk should also consider the potential risk to their loved ones.
- Encourage social distancing and wear masks.
- Host your gathering outdoors, when possible. If this is not feasible, make sure the room or space is well-ventilated (for example, open a window).
- Arrange tables and chairs to allow for social distancing. People from the same household can be in groups together and don’t need to be 6 feet apart – just 6 feet away from other families.
- When guests arrive, minimize gestures that promote close contact. For example, don’t shake hands, do elbow bumps, or give hugs. Instead wave and verbally greet them.
- Consider providing hand sanitizer in addition to clearly marked hand washing areas.
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds when entering and exiting social gatherings.
- Make sure there is adequate soap or hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol available in the restrooms. Consider also providing cleaning supplies that allow guests to wipe down surfaces before they leave.
- Use single-use hand towels or paper towels for drying hands so guests do not share a towel.
- Limit the number of people handling or serving food.
- Encourage guests to bring their own food and drinks.
- Limit people going in and out of the areas where food is being prepared or handled, such as in the kitchen or around the grill, if possible.
- Use single-use options or identify one person to serve sharable items, like salad dressings, food containers, and condiments, so that multiple people are not handling the items.
- If you choose to use any shared items that are reusable (e.g., seating covers, tablecloths, linen napkins), wash, clean, and sanitize them after the event.
Attending a Gathering
- Stay home if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 (symptoms of COVID-19), if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
- Check with the organizer or event venue for updated information about any COVID-19 safety guidelines and if they have steps in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
- Prioritize attending outdoor activities over indoor activities and stay within your local area as much as possible.
- Bring supplies to help you and others stay healthy, for example, masks, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, and drinking water.
- Use social distancing and limit physical contact.
- Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet or more from people who don’t live in your household.
- Select seating or determine where to stand based on the ability to keep 6 feet of space from people who don’t live in your household, including if you will be eating or drinking.
- Wear a mask when interacting with other people to minimize the risk of transmitting the virus. Masks are strongly encouraged in settings where individuals might raise their voices, such as shouting, chanting, or singing.
- Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items.
- Use disposable food service items including utensils and dishes, if available.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer immediately before eating food or after touching any common surfaces like hand railings, door handles, and toilets.
Click HERE for more information from the CDC or HERE for more on California’s Purple Tier restrictions.
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