Officials carve out holiday guidance
NORRISTOWN » With the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away and the fall surge of the coronavirus pandemic gripping the region, Montgomery County health officials have carved out some safer, alternative ways to celebrate the holiday.
“We’re asking people to be very, very cautious over the Thanksgiving holiday as I suspect that our (COVID-19) cases will continue to be on the uptick by Thanksgiving. Particularly, with people traveling from other parts of the country, where the virus is surging even more significantly than it is in our region, it definitely will increase everybody’s risk,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh said this week.
“This is a challenging time for so many families. It’s so many peoples absolute favorite holiday,” Arkoosh said.
County officials, echoing recommendations made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said those who have COVID-19 or have been exposed
to someone with the virus should not participate in Thanksgiving festivities.
If you are sick with COVID-19 like symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea) or are under isolation or quarantine, “Stay home!” officials emphasized.
Health officials urged residents to maintain a distance of at least 6-feet or more from people you don’t live with and to abide by handwashing recommendations and to clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces and shared items between uses.
Residents should minimize gestures that promote close contact. For example, do not shake hands, elbow bump or give hugs. Instead, wave and verbally greet others, officials recommended.
A face mask or face shield should be worn at all times. A face mask should not leave gaps around your face and should be secure under your chin, county health officials advised.
The Thanksgiving recommendations come at a time when the county is recording an increase in positive coronavirus cases.
The overall 14-day COVID-19 positivity rate for the county, as of Oct. 30, was 4.39%, which was an increase from the 3.16% positivity rate recorded for the 14-day period ending Oct. 23.
Health officials believe having a positivity rate less than 5% indicates the county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed. A review of daily positivity rates from Oct. 17 to Oct. 30 showed the county was above 5% on four days.
Several neighboring counties have even higher positivity rates, according to state health data.
“So, particularly, if people are coming from our surrounding counties the chances that they might be carrying virus are even higher. So, if families can come up with some more creative ways to celebrate and do it from a little more distance then that would be the safest strategy,” Arkoosh said.
Officials from the county Office of Public Health, after reviewing CDC guidance, outlined Thanksgiving activities according to risk — low, moderate and high for COVID-19 transmission.
“There’s a lot of commonsense around this. The highest risk activities would include large, indoor gatherings that include peo- ple who are not part of your household,” Arkoosh said. “There are ways to do this that are lower risk and so I would really urge families to think about it.”
County officials included the following CDC recommendations on the county’s website at www.montcopa.org/ThanksgivingGuidance High Risk:
• Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household
• Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving
• Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race
• Attending crowded parades
• Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgment and increase risky behaviors
Moderate Risk:
• Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community
• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
• Attending a small outdoor sporting event with safety precautions in place Low Risk:
• Having a small dinner with only people who live in your household
• Preparing traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and delivering them in a way that does not involve contact with others
• Having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family
• Shopping online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving or the next Monday
• Watching sports events, parades and movies from home
In the guidance, officials also addressed holiday travel, emphasizing that traveling on planes, trains and public transportation can increase your chances of catching or spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself, health officials said.
“Remember you and your travel companions could spread the virus to other people including family, friends and the community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus. You may not be sick or have symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 if infected to others,” health officials wrote in the guidance. Lowest Risk:
• Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19
• Short trips by car with members of your household with no stops along the way
More Risk: Longer trips by car or RV with one or more stops along the way Even More Risk:
• Trips by car or RV with people who are not in your household
• Long-distance train or bus trips
• Direct flights
Highest Risk:
• Flights with layovers
• Traveling on a cruise ship or river boat
If you must travel, stay informed about the latest information for travelers by visiting www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Travelers.aspx