Celebrating during the pandemic
The holidays in 2020 are something very special, especially in terms of planning. This year you should not jump from one party to the next without having thought about the consequences beforehand. Corona and the holidays are inseparable this year, so you need to start thinking about how you are going to spend them and how to stay safe. We will help you and answer the most important questions.
How do you plan to spend the holidays during Corona?
The first question you should ask yourself is: How will you spend the holidays in 2020? Depending on your answer and therefore your plans, you will need to know in advance what is needed to make the holidays safe for you and your family. The following checkpoints can help you to plan your holidays:
What does the Corona situation look like closer to the time?
This question is a little difficult to answer right now because we don’t know how the situation will change within a month. It is possible that the infection has not yet changed until the holidays. We all have to expect that the current “lockdown light” will remain and we might not be able to celebrate with the whole family. So stay up-to-date and check the news for updates. It is also possible that something is decided only shortly beforehand and you have to redesign your plans. In our Corona Guide, you can find all the important information about Corona and the holidays.
Where will you celebrate?
This question is of course important to be able to assess the danger around aerosols. If you live in a small apartment in the city center without a balcony or terrace and invite your family of 10 people, this could be a problem. Unfortunately, closed rooms are perfect for transmitting infection. If you have the possibility to spend the holidays somewhere else, where there is more space or even a garden/terrace, then head on over there. This way you can ventilate more often or even move part of the festivities outside.
Another tip: Make sure that your festivities don’t go on for too long. We understand that you want to keep your family with you as long as possible, but the longer you are together, the higher the risk of infection. There is of course also the possibility of renting a vacation home far away from other people with your family or friends and spend the later advent season together. In Sweden, for example, there are many such beautiful houses – with a snow guarantee!
Do your guests arrive from somewhere else?
Nowadays it is no longer the case that the whole family lives in the same place. Often they live hundreds of kilometers away from each other, which is not a problem at first. But if you have to go somewhere else and don’t have your own car, make sure that your journey is not a danger. The holidays during Corona are probably not the best time to share a car with your road trip travel partner unless you are from a family. So travel by train or plane! If you want to be sure, you can arrive a few days earlier and enter a short quarantine to put your family members at less risk.
Who should avoid celebrating in big groups to stay safe
Unfortunately, there are some risk groups who should forego celebrating the holidays with a large group this year. These include people who have tested positive for the coronavirus and are still contagious. In addition, family members or friends should not participate if they are waiting for the result of a test or if they show symptoms of the coronavirus.
If you want to be really sure and do not want to put your family in the slightest danger, check the Corona Warn App regularly. This shows you whether you have had an encounter with a person who tested positive in the last 14 days. If this is the case, you should stay at home, because especially older family members can suffer severe consequences from corona disease. These serious consequences can also occur in young people, such as your friends. So act responsibly and with foresight – this will not be the last Christmas in your life!
How to make sure your party is corona-safe
If you have decided to combine Corona and a celebration, there are a few things you should consider before, during, and after the celebration so that you are all safe and stay safe.
Pre-Quarantine
The virologist Christian Drosten suggests a “pre-quarantine” before the holidays. What does this mean? If you want to spend the holidays with your family or friends, you should go into voluntary quarantine, ideally for one week. Of course, this is only possible if you can work from home and really don’t have to leave your apartment or house. After this week the risk of an infection or a transmission of the virus is very much minimized.
Arrival by train
As already mentioned, besides the car, the train and the plane are an alternative to see your loved ones. Deutsche Bahn has developed comprehensive hygiene concepts to make rail travel as safe as possible. But anyone who has traveled by train recently knows that it is sometimes difficult to implement. Especially during the holiday season when thousands of people travel on the train every day. From 13.12.20 timetable changes will come into effect and thus the winter timetable 2020/2021 will be live. This contains a massive vehicle development, as well as more long-distance trains, connections, and denser train sequences. This means that 13,000 more seats can be offered daily.
Food and Drink
If you want to celebrate on a grand scale, a buffet is always a good choice. Every guest can decide for himself what he’s going to eat, how much and when. But this usually means that many people touch the same cutlery, which of course does not sound like a good idea during the Corona pandemic. An idea for you might be to choose a person to serve the food. This way only one person touches the cutlery and can disinfect it afterward. Alternatively, you could offer ready-made plates that the guests can simply take. If you are only celebrating in a smaller setting, eat together at tables and have one person per table to refill other people’s plates. This also applies to drinks, of course. An open bar where everyone can help themselves should be avoided.
Disinfectants at hand
Hygiene is the be-all and end-all this year. This also includes disinfectants, so be sure to bring your own gel or spray to disinfect your hands regularly. If you are the host yourself, also have a disinfectant for surfaces. Especially tables can become unhygienic and unsafe after a few hours. Even if it is known that the virus does not survive for long on surfaces, you should minimize the risk as much as possible with proper hygiene. Ask your family and friends to follow your example!
Testing after the celebrations
After the party is before the test. To make sure that you won’t put anyone in danger in your immediate surroundings even after the holidays, it is important that you do a Corona test. You should also go into quarantine by working in your home office so that your colleagues stay safe. Because even you cannot know where the people in your environment spent the holidays during Corona. If you develop similar symptoms or your test is positive, contact all the people you spent the holidays with immediately. Hours alone can be decisive!
In the year 2020 Corona is omnipresent and we should not fight against it, because this is the reality, unfortunately. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend the holidays alone or that you can only see your loved ones via Skype. With proper planning, it is almost possible to celebrate like last year and as I said, it won’t be the last Christmas! We at JoinMyTrip wish you a wonderful advent season and will be at your side as soon as we can go out and discover the world again.
Have a look at these blogs for more inspiration and tips:
5 important tips for traveling when your trip gets cancelled
When can I travel again? Find the answer here.
5 Reasons why traveling in a group is more important than ever.
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