NCDHHS released new guidance for Thanksgiving celebrations and Black Friday shopping to help North Carolinians gauge the risks, protect their friends and loved ones, and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Here are a few tips to keep your family safe during Thanksgiving:
- Limit travel
- Limit physical contact with people who do not live in your household
- Practice the 3 W's - Wear a face covering, keep 6 feet of social distancing, wash your hands
- Have a COVID-19 screening test if you plan to attend family gatherings
- Encourage your guests to limit contact with people outside of their households for 14 days prior to gathering
- If anyone is showing symptoms, ask them to stay home
- Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces
- Keep the guest list small
- Set up a Zoom virtual event for guests to attend (especially those at higher risk)
- Host outdoors if possible - or provide well ventilated space by opening windows and doors
- Arrange tables and chairs to allow for social distancing between guests
- Limit people in the kitchen
- Identify one person to serve the food so that multiple people are not handling the utensils
- Use single-use options like salad dressings, condiments so that people are not handling the items (or identify one person to serve sharable items)
Here are a few tips to keep your family safe during Black Friday Shopping:
- Use online shopping or curbside pick-up instead of in-person shopping
- Check store hours and go at off-times, so there are fewer people in the store
- Check to see if the store has special hours for people with high risk for illness
- Wear a face mask and bring hand sanitizer
- Practice the 3 W's - Wear a face covering, keep 6 feet of social distancing, wash your hands
- Use hand sanitizer before you enter the store and when you exit. Wash hands when you return home for at least 20 seconds.
- Have a list of items to limit browsing, do not unnecessarily touch multiple items
- Use touchless payment methods
- Avoid shopping in stores that attract crowds
- Avoid shopping with a non-household member
STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!