Trick, Treat, and Travel Tips for Safe Holidays

Oct. 29, 2021 -- We're successful a amended spot this twelvemonth for enjoying the holidays safely compared to a twelvemonth ago. Trick-or-treating is simply a spell this weekend, planetary friends and household tin sojourn the U.S. again staring Nov. 8, and the wide adoption of COVID-19 precautions and protections, particularly vaccines, increases the likelihood for harmless gatherings, said Henry Wu, MD.

"I can't judge it's been a twelvemonth since I past talked astir this. Even more, I'm truly amazed astatine however overmuch amended signifier we are successful close now," Wu said during a Thursday media briefing sponsored by the Emory University School of Medicine successful Atlanta. "We've learned truthful overmuch successful the past twelvemonth astir COVID-19 and however it spreads."

"I bash spot a disposable way towards a harmless vacation [season], 1 that we tin bask portion minimizing the risks of COVID-19 to ourselves and our families," said Wu, manager of the Emory TravelWell Center.

Release the Ghosts and Goblins

In presumption of bully quality for Halloween 2021, contaminated surfaces are little of a interest for coronavirus transmission present than they were aboriginal successful the pandemic.

"So I wouldn't interest overmuch astir the treats your children get. Just marque definite their hands are clean," Wu said.

The aforesaid manus hygiene goes for radical handing retired treats to trick-or-treaters, too.

Another affirmative origin is that trick-or-treating is simply a beauteous overmuch an outdoor event. And outdoor events that are not packed oregon crowded thin to beryllium safer than different types of get-togethers, Wu said.

"Going doorway to doorway for trick-or-treating is surely a harmless activity," helium said.

In announcements earlier this month, some Anthony Fauci, MD, and Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, agreed. Fauci, manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated that trick-or-treating is harmless this Halloween.

The CDC precocious updated its guidelines for safer holidays during COVID-19 connected Oct. 15, and connected Oct. 25, Walensky encouraged children to enactment connected their costumes, enactment outside, and enjoy trick-or-treating this year.

Also, for radical handing retired candy, see protective measures. For example, Wu said, "you tin reassure your trick-or-treaters by wearing masks that you person their information successful mind."

Some perchance riskier traditions volition person to wait. For example, "hygiene is decidedly important. Of course, I'm not definite however galore radical inactive bob for apples, but I deliberation adjacent earlier the pandemic, I would not person been excessively speedy to enactment successful that."

Layer Up Clothes and Protections

Keep the basics successful caput to bounds vulnerability to coronavirus, and the much protections, the merrier.

"Remember, you tin augment your protections utilizing each the basal preventive measures that we're each acquainted with, similar masking erstwhile successful high-risk situations and avoiding crowded indoor areas," Wu said.

"Just similar layering up our apparel successful acold weather, you tin furniture up your protections against COVID."

Also, due to the fact that breakthrough infections are imaginable among the vaccinated, see masking if a person oregon household subordinate is immunocompromised oregon has a higher hazard condition, Wu said. As an added precaution, everyone getting unneurotic tin hold to get tested beforehand.

"I truly bash deliberation it's important to spot your family, peculiarly the frail ones who person not been capable to get out," Wu added. "So I would conscionable promote folks to bask themselves, but to instrumentality vantage of arsenic galore layers arsenic they can."

Travel Tips

If you are readying to question for the holidays, Wu recommended getting vaccinated if you are eligible. Also, probe the COVID-19 requirements astatine location and wherever you’re going successful advance.

"Note that if you are an unvaccinated, you volition request to get tested earlier and aft your trip," Wu said.

Testing is besides required for American travelers returning to the U.S., vaccinated oregon not.

Also, starting Nov. 8, the U.S. authorities plans to let planetary visitors to participate the state if they are vaccinated.

"This is an breathtaking clip due to the fact that truthful galore of america person household and friends who've been incapable to sojourn us," Wu said. "Let's beryllium bully hosts and let's invited our visitors by getting vaccinated."

Thankful for Vaccines

And speaking of being a bully host, if you are readying a vacation enactment oregon get-together, "plan your events truthful that they are harmless and past radical tin bask themselves comfortably," Wu said.

If you are having a party, support your numbers little oregon support it outside, for example.

Again, it is champion to beryllium vaccinated if you're readying a household get-together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, oregon different vacation successful the coming months.

"Remember, the much households that are unneurotic … increases the chances that idiosyncratic is ill," Wu said.

Reduce that hazard by getting vaccinated and encouraging friends and household to bash the same, helium added.

Reasons for Optimism

When asked if imaginable FDA support of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine successful children 5 to 11 years aged could marque a quality this vacation season, Wu replied, "Well, surely the much persons that are vaccinated, the safer it volition be. And we surely bash cognize children tin get COVID-19 and they tin dispersed it."

"I promote folks to show the quality and speech to their physicians erstwhile these vaccines are approved to spot if it makes consciousness to person your household vaccinated," helium said.

Overall, though determination are reasons to observe this vacation season, the pandemic is not implicit yet. "Remember, we are not yet astatine a constituent wherever we tin bash everything similar we utilized to bash earlier the pandemic. So let's not marque the mistake of letting our defender down excessively soon," Wu said.

"On the different hand, we truly bash person tools to power the pandemic, and safely bash truthful overmuch that we missed retired connected past year."