New Year’s Eve is the perfect occasion to get together for a celebration with friends or family. Have you had enough of being unsocial or socialising virtually? Perhaps the New Year’s Eve is the perfect occasion to get together for a small celebration with friends or family. But should you be celebrating in a group already? What about everyone’s safety? Proceed for a quick read on how to celebrate with precautions.

---

For our comprehensive coverage and latest updates on COVID-19 click here.

---

The last holiday of the year is almost upon us. Most of us can’t wait to bid farewell to the year 2020. Of course, with the way the year has impacted our lives, to celebrate its end feels like too good an opportunity to let go off.

Also, with the entire country trying to return to normalcy, celebrating the last festival of the year without friends or family seems unnecessary. Perhaps, it is time we gathered with them again, or is it?

The current situation

The numerous vaccine trials for the new coronavirus have been giving us hope to bring back the old, the original normal. However, many Indian states are again seeing an upward trend in COVID-19 cases. Also, considering the forecast of a harsh winter for some of these states, it is likely that the number of cases may rise further. So the question yet again is: to celebrate or not?

Here are some pointers that can be applied in the Indian setting without defying any local and state-specific rules and regulations.

---

Recommendations for safe celebrations

Limit any gathering to members of a household

It is ideally recommended to celebrate the holidays only with the members of your household. This would include all those who you share the house with, but ensure no one is infected. But, this may not always work for large Indian families or a circle of friends. To still enjoy a feeling of togetherness with them, you can hold a virtual meeting with every family in their own household, creating a similar celebratory theme. Likewise with all friends.

You can go to the extent of gathering your friends from the same housing unit like neighbours or hostel mates. However, persons who have returned after traveling can possibly be carriers of the virus, so it is best to keep the gathering limited to members whose status of exposure to the virus or the infected can be known.

---

Plan your guest list wisely

If you intend to invite elderly members or other 'high-risk' category of guests, ensure the other attendees understand that and take precautions seriously. Children are said to be at low risk but can be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Continuous monitoring of children in such an environment is highly recommended because carelessness on their part can put others at risk. It would also be better to have only those invitees who have not socially mingled recently.

---

Plan seating as per distancing norms and communicate your requests/expectations to guests

Plan your seating to maintain a reasonable distance between guests. Explain the arrangement to your guests and the purpose behind it, also requesting them to take universal precautions, like keeping the mask on, sanitising hands, etc. It is important to ensure they have understood what is expected of them, so the risk of transmission is low.

Avoid loud music as that would require the guests to talk loudly or come closer for better hearing. Also, request guests to not sing or shout and convey that greetings should be exchanged without physical contact.

---

Choose an outdoor venue

With outdoor gatherings, you do not have to worry about improper air circulation, which increases the chances of the virus spreading. Outdoor gatherings are also preferable as you can enable appropriate social distancing for everyone.

Whether indoor or outdoor, people may get closer to talk to each other, so ensure everyone has their masks on. If you must have people indoors, ensure there is adequate ventilation. If you can’t keep the windows open due to weather conditions, arrange for fan heaters, which can keep the room warm by circulating warm air.

If you can go the distance, arrange for a good-quality particle air purifier and/or opt for an ultraviolet-C (UVC) light – it reduces airborne viruses in closed spaces. However, it is important to remember that the universal preventive measures must be followed even when you use these appliances.

---

Provide for sanitisation

Place contactless sanitiser holders at a couple of spots around your guests. Also, inform them about where these spots are and where they can find the wash basin.

Request and remind them about washing hands with soap or using a sanitiser after touching shared spaces or objects or while helping anyone in the room. Provide for single-use napkins and place closed dust bins where guests can discard them.

Food and drinks are integral to any celebration. Removing the mask while eating and drinking is inevitable. However, you can instruct your guests to keep the mask-off time or the time to eat and drink to the minimum. Also, removed masks must be kept separate and untouched, so provide a paper bag with names to everyone to keep the masks away when needed.

---

Prevent contamination of food and drinks

Decide on a food menu that doesn’t include any dishes that need to be shared, like salads or munchies. A person should be designated to pass around plates, crockery, condiments etc. (ideally after checking his or her temperature and status on exposure to crowds and risk of infection). This person should have his or her mask on at all times and should be educated on the measures to prevent any contamination. For example, not letting the serving spoon touch anyone’s plate.

Provide for disposable plates and glasses if possible or ensure utensils are washed immediately after use. Ensure table linen and seat covers are washed after the event.

---

Create a holiday bubble if traveling

Ideally, as per CDC, everyone traveling must get tested. This will not only avoid any undesirable quarantine situation away from home, but also prevent the entire family from getting infected.

Creating a holiday bubble is where everyone traveling to join the celebration agrees to stay isolated for 14 days, until the day of traveling. This self-imposed isolation reduces the risk of infection to a great extent. However, if you would be using public transport, where social distancing may not be possible, it is best to avoid traveling and attending the celebration.

It is also essential to check the situation of the locality where you intend to stay put, preferably before making the bookings. If the number of cases are already high, it would be best to change your location.

Have a plan chalked out in case someone needs to be isolated after exhibiting symptoms. Keep contact details of nearest hospital or clinics ready in case someone experiences a shortness of breath.