How to Have a Covid-Safe Holiday Season

The bad news about the upcoming holiday season is that traditional meals and parties — involving indoor settings, poor ventilation, and prolonged, close contact — are the biggest risk factors for spreading Covid-19. The good news is that there are still plenty of reduced-risk activities for family and friends, according to an informal survey of epidemiologists and other experts.

The favored modifications for holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas are limiting group size and attempting to take things outdoors. Epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch of Harvard said his family usually has a big Thanksgiving dinner for 16, but this year it’s just the four people in his nuclear family. Julia Marcus, also of Harvard, said she’s skipping a big family dinner but will continue the family tradition of a Thanksgiving hike. Purdue University virologist David Sanders is also not attending a Thanksgiving get-together this year and also advocated an outdoor gathering if possible.