When it comes time to invite family and friends over for the holidays, you want to do everything you can to keep them safe. Whether you’re hosting a Festivus party, a work Christmas party, or anything in between, cleaning and disinfecting is important now more than ever. With the threat of the omicron variant of COVID-19 looming over your holiday get-togethers, keeping everyone safe and healthy means taking the extra precautions for your employees, loved ones, and family members.
Don’t get lax
Omicron, Delta, and the original versions of COVID-19 are still present, especially given the inability for the US to reach the necessary vaccination rate of 80% to allow for herd immunity. While many retailers, restaurants, and others are easing their restrictions, mask mandates, and more, COVID infection rates are once again spiking in NH and increasing in MA. We know you want to enjoy your friends and family members, but getting lax in mask usage and tightly packing everyone into your home can be the difference between life and death for older and immunocompromised family members and friends. Insist that your precautions are for everyone’s safety; you don’t want to be the one who hosted the party that countless others walked away infected from.
Clean, clean, clean
Keep up your cleaning regiment by disinfecting common touch points like handles, door knobs, key pads, locks, faucets, and more. You may even opt to use disposable plates, cups, and utensils for easy cleanup during your holiday get together. If you normally serve food buffet style, try instead making up plates for your friends and family members so food is not sitting out in the open. Remember to disinfect all surfaces routinely and throughout the day or during your get together.
Disinfect according to instructions
Disinfection is different from cleaning. Cleaning provides a visible clean, and in most situations, is acceptable. However, to keep your friends, family, and employees safe during get-togethers, it’s important to disinfect routinely. Disinfection protocols often require leaving cleaning solutions on surfaces for longer periods of time to allow for them to work when it comes to destroying viruses and bacteria. Each disinfection method is different, so make sure you carefully follow disinfection protocols as written by the manufacturer.
Host Outside
Your best line of defense against COVID-19 and its variants is to give space between families that live together. If possible to host your get together outside, grab a few outside heaters and host in the open air. Remember to allow at least six feet between people who don’t live together or “bubble together”, so make sure to provide adequate space for people to stretch out!
We hope these tips help you keep your family, friends, and employees safe during the holidays. We wish you a safe and healthy happy holiday season!
