A: A layered approach to protecting yourself and others is your best bet to make it safer.
TL; DR Maximize the number of attendees who are vaccinated, encourage people to rapid-test before the event, consider wearing a high-quality mask, improve indoor air ventilation and/or eat outdoors, and get tested again after the event.
Many of us who opted out of multi-household holiday gatherings last year are eager to try to get together with family this year-we get it, we miss our families too! Navigating this in a world of mixed vaccine status families with variable levels of willingness to take COVID precautions is…challenging-we get that too.
While we can’t tell you how to make it completely risk free, here are the steps we suggest to help make such a gathering *safer*:
1. Get all members of your household that are aged 5+ years vaccinated 💉 as soon as possible. Those who get vaccinated by TODAY, will reach *maximum immune protection* on December 25th, just in time for Christmas 🎄 and New Years 🥳 celebrations!!! If you are aged 18+ years, get a booster shot. While you are at it, everyone should get a flu shot too. At a mixed vaccine status gathering, being vaccinated is not the only layer of protection we would recommend, but it is an an important start, and the more people vaccinated at the event, the better.
2. Encourage attendees to take a rapid test the morning of the event. Anyone who tests positive, as well as their household members, should definitely stay home 🏠 (and also not host). While it is possible some people who have COVID-19 won’t get picked up yet on a rapid test (i.e. they will test negative), they will be less likely to be contagious that day if they tested negative. NOTE: We realize that rapid tests are fairly expensive and can be hard to find, so if this is not a realistic option, plan on taking other precautions.
3. Consider wearing a high-quality mask 😷 (i.e., a KN95) if the gathering will be indoors, especially with family members who are not yet fully vaccinated, people who can’t mount as strong an immune response to vaccination, or those at high-risk for complications from COVID-19. A high-quality mask can provide you with another layer of protection on top of being vaccinated if you will be indoors with unvaccinated attendees. It will also do a good job of keeping your germs with you if you happen to unknowingly be infected.
4. Crack the windows and/or run a portable air filter to improve indoor air ventilation 💨. If the weather permits, consider eating outdoors at the event, even if others don’t. If you are worried about your unvaccinated kids being unmasked indoors during the meal, you can also always visit for a while masked, but opt for eating 🍽️ with your immediate family back at home. If the event is crowded, with many unvaccinated people, being in a well-ventilated space is even more important.
5. Stay home 🏠 and schedule a PCR test ~5-7 days after the gathering if, despite your best efforts, you think it is possible you were exposed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that those who are unvaccinated and exposed, quarantine, monitor for symptoms and get tested on day 5 or later. Those that are vaccinated and exposed, should monitor for symptoms, wear a mask in public and get tested ~5-7 days after exposure. If you test positive, you can start to isolate and prevent further spread of COVID-19 to others.
With new daily cases nearing the levels they were this time last year in many places, and a highly transmissible variant circulating, it makes sense to take additional precautions at mixed vaccine status gatherings, even if you yourself are vaccinated. Even if you can’t do all these things, the more layers of protection you do use, the safer your gathering will be. If your risk tolerance is just not compatible with others who will be attending the event, it is also okay to opt out. Ultimately, do what you need to do to #staysafestaysane this holiday season!
Video with some great tips for holiday gatherings from Dr. Sanjay Gupta
More tips on safer holiday gatherings
Find a COVID-19 vaccine appointment near you
Our most recent post on using rapid tests BEFORE events
Our most recent post on high-quality masks
Our most recent post on how to make your own air purifier
Our most recent posts on testing AFTER an event or potential exposure see here and here
