CDC Guidance: It’s safest to stay home, but if you are hosting a small group, here are prudent considerations

With the Fourth of July holiday this weekend, small gatherings are sure to occur even though health officials are advising people to resist the urge to visit friends and family, even from a distance of six feet.

The Centers for Disease Control offers the following principles to increase protection against COVID-19 (these considerations are meant to supplement—not replace— state and local health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which gatherings must comply).

Guiding Principles

The CDC defines a gathering as as a planned or spontaneous event, indoors or outdoors, with a small number of people participating.

The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading.

Virtual get-togethers carry the lowest risk of COVID-19, followed by smaller, outdoor gatherings with members from different households spaced at least six feet apart and wearing cloth face coverings. People should not share objects, and come from the same community.

Risk increases as more people are added.

Questions To Ask Your Potential Guests Before They Arrive

• Do you feel sick?

Remind guests to stay home if they are sick especially if they have or recently had a fever, cough and shortness of breath.

• Have you been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days or are showing COVID-19 symptoms?

Anyone who has had close contact with a person who has COVID- 19 should also stay home and monitor their health. Invited guests who live with those at higher risk should also consider staying home to minimize the potential risk to their loved ones.

• Are you comfortable wearing a mask and maintaining a six-foot distance?

Communicate the ground rules in advance. Gatherings should be outdoors with tables arranged to allow for social distancing. People from the same household can be in groups together and don’t need to be six feet apart—just 6 feet away from other families. It’s easier to let people know what will be expected before they arrive. Consider having people bring their own everything, even utensils, have disposable towels in the bathroom and hand sanitizer readily available.