The Cape May County Health Department is offering safety tips for Thanksgiving celebrations.
The holiday is a time when many families travel long distances to celebrate together. Travel increases the chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.
Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others. If you must travel, be informed of the risks involved.
Lower risk activities
- 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 doesn’t 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.
Moderate risk activities
- Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community.
- Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cook-outs.
- 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 sports events with safety precautions in place.
Higher risk activities
Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
- 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 judgement and increase risky behaviors.
- Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household.
Stay up to date on the current situation as it evolves. Some reliable sources are the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System Hotline at 211 or 1-800-962-1253, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at
www.cdc.gov, World Health Organization at
www.who.int and New Jersey Department of Health at
COVID19.nj.gov.
For additional information, visit Cape May County Department of Health at www.cmchealth.net and also on Facebook.
