Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued guidance that can help keep your family safe and healthy while celebrating Día de los Muertos. Celebrations must be done differently this year in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The CDC points out that if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Día de los Muertos festivities. There are safer ways to celebrate the holiday.
The CDC recommends these lower risk activities:
- Preparing traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others
- Playing music in your home that your deceased loved ones enjoyed
- Making and decorating masks or making an altar for the deceased
- Setting out pillows and blankets in your home for the deceased
- Joining a virtual get-together celebration
The CDC states that these are moderate risk activities:
- Having a small group outdoor, open-air parade where people are distanced more than six feet apart
- Visiting and decorating graves of loved ones with household members only and keeping more than 6 feet away from others who may be in the area
- Hosting or attending a small dinner with local family and friends outdoors where people are distanced more than 6 feet part.
The CDC points out that the following activities are higher risk (and should be avoided):
- Attending large indoor celebrations with singing or chanting
- Participating in crowded indoor gathering or events
- Having a large dinner party with people from different households coming from different geographic locations
- Using alcohol drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
The risks of spreading COVID-19 mean that we all must make changes to how we would usually participate in holiday celebrations. This may disappoint some people who prefer to do things they way they are used to. Keep in mind that the CDC recommendations will help keep your family safe and healthy.
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