By Ally Lessard
Reporter
Mid-November is normally a time for students to look forward to Thanksgiving, returning home, and taking a long-earned break from school. The leaves are changing, the smell of autumn is in the air, and you can begin to hear whispers of holiday songs. However, with the pandemic still lingering and drowning out the jolly sounds of the festivities, many people are wondering what the upcoming season will look like.
For me, Thanksgiving and the holiday season normally means spending time with family. I have a relatively small family that is all local to Washington, so for us, travel isn’t something we necessarily have to worry about. This isn’t the case for most students, especially for those who aren’t native to Washington. The return home from campus may increase the risk of spreading COVID-19, and if you aren’t able to quarantine after traveling, there’s a risk of spreading it to your family.
The most common form of holiday traveling is via airplane, which has been a questionable activity throughout the pandemic due to the risk of exposure. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says travel by air is fine due to the circulation of air through the plane, it may be difficult to fully social distance if the airline you are flying on is not following social distancing guidelines. The CDC also recommends that everyone wear a mask during the duration of their travels. So if you do find yourself traveling, make sure you have a way to wash your hands, wear a mask, and keep a 6-foot distance from other travelers; That way you’ll be good to go!
Once home this holiday season, it is most important to keep your family and friends safe and healthy. This can include practicing social distancing and wearing masks while catching up with your family, or having multiple small gatherings and a quarantine period in between. Make sure to encourage family members to bring their own food items and limit unnecessary contact, or make sure only one person is serving food. Hand sanitizer or a way to wash your hands should also be readily available. It’s important to reduce the number of people attending and set boundaries before the event starts, that way everyone is on the same page and understands the protocols.
If you are able, being outside is a great option! While the beginning of winter may lower temperatures greatly depending on where you are, being outside allows for more ventilation than being indoors. Plus, going on family walks is a fun alternative. Bundle up, grab your favorite warm beverage, and take a walk to look at any of the early-bird displays of Christmas lights in your area!
You can also opt to gather virtually. Many families have used platforms such as Zoom or Google Hangouts to reconnect during the pandemic. There you can see everyone’s faces and have time together without having to be together physically. Making use of these tools during these next few months is a great choice to keep everyone protected. It’s also important to make sure whomever you are seeing is following the same social distancing procedures as you so you can protect yourself as well.
My plans this holiday season are to quarantine before seeing my family and only see a select few to reduce exposure to new people. My family has specified that we want to keep our gatherings to a minimum number of people so that we can keep each other safe. Despite it being Thanksgiving, we’ve each agreed to prepare our own dishes, and keep ourselves distanced from each other when inside.
Hopefully, everyone will be able to enjoy the upcoming celebrations this year, despite the differences due to the pandemic. It’s important to remember we are still living through this event, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down at the moment. While it is easy to slip into old habits, we need to keep ourselves safe throughout the season.
