With millions of British Columbians gathering with family and friends for Thanksgiving this weekend, doctors are offering their advice on how to keep the holiday safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most important thing people can do to reduce risk, according to both B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Federal Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, is to be vaccinated and try to limit themselves to gathering with other vaccinated people.
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“It is a difficult question sometimes, but ask your family, or if you have people outside of your family you are thinking of inviting, do try and ask them whether they have been vaccinated or not and take that into account,” Tam said.
Henry said that advice was particularly important “if you have older family members or anyone who is immune-compromised.”
“That’s what you can do to protect yourself, then to protect those you are closest to — we want to make sure these gatherings are happy occurrences and not cause virus transmission and illness in the coming weeks.”
People should consider keeping their celebration to just their own immediate family if would-be guests are not vaccinated, according to the health officers.
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, said there are several other ways people can further reduce the risk of gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief among these is cancelling your holiday plans to gather if you feel at all ill in any way.
People should also consider keeping their gatherings to a modest size, and take advantage of pleasant weather if available.
“If you have a covered area and heater available and you can do things outdoors, that’s obviously going to be safer,” Conway said.
“If you’re going to do things indoors, I think the closest comparison that comes to my mind is to think of this as a restaurant: What would be a group of individuals, all vaccinated, that you would feel comfortable with in terms of number of people and anything else, going to a restaurant with?
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“That should be the guidance in your mind about how many people you should have over to your place to celebrate Thanksgiving indoors.”
Conway said physical distancing and mask-wearing can also be employed as “an added insurance policy,” particularly in cases where people may be in higher-risk categories.
If people are dining indoors, Tam also suggested people find ways to improve the ventilation in their homes.
“Even when it’s cooler, you can open your windows a little bit for short periods of time and the doors to improve ventilation,” she said.
“Previously, we have seen surges in cases after these holiday events. This year, with the vaccine on board, I think we should be on a more solid footing, but we can’t be too careful with this formidable foe.”
Health orders limiting gatherings
Along with the recommendation, British Columbians in some parts of the province are also under public health orders limiting how many people can gather in their homes.
In the Fraser East health service delivery area, which includes Abbotsford, Agassiz, Chilliwack, Harrison Hot Springs, Hope and Mission, there are no limits on people who are fully vaccinated.
But if people are not fully vaccinated, indoor gatherings in private homes are limited to a person’s household plus five visitors or one other household.
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Outdoor gatherings at private homes in these communities are limited to one’s household and up to 10 visitors, who must remain outside.
In both the Interior and Northern Health regions, indoor personal gatherings are limited to one’s household plus five visitors or one other household.
Outdoor gatherings in both health regions are limited to 50 people.