ORLANDO, Fla. — While experts say the safest thing to do this Thanksgiving is to spend it only with people inside your household, they also acknowledge that not everyone is going to do that.
If you’re still planning on getting together, here’s how experts say you can minimize your risk:
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• Stay outside. Epidemiologists say our biggest advantage here in Florida is better weather than people up north. It means a more comfortable holiday meal outside.
• If weather forces you indoors, open as many windows as you can to improve air circulation.
• Keep your group as small as possible. Ideally, your meal would not include anyone from outside your household. But if you do have people over, experts advise you to keep numbers to an absolute minimum.
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• Wear your mask. Experts advise to come with your mask already on and keep it on during the meal except when it’s necessary to remove it to eat.
• Bring your own plates and utensils. It makes it easier to know which is yours and avoid cross-contamination.
• Bring your own food. In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, they suggest bringing your own food as a way to eliminate guests serving themselves buffet-style. But if you’re not much of a chef and depend on others cooking, they advise having clean hands and being as hygienic as possible dishing out portions.
• Set up the chairs so you are six feet apart from your guests to reinforce expectations of physical distancing.
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• Turn down the music. That way people don’t have to speak loudly thereby potentially spreading more droplets.
• Consider not having trays of food on the table or consider putting lids or covers on the food, so that people are not speaking over the food and potentially contaminating it.
