Stay home for the holidays

As expected, the new weekly COVID-19 numbers put Clinton firmly in the state’s red category again this week.

The data shows a steadily growing rate of infection in our town, just as we’re entering the cold holiday months. It’s not good news:

• Our percent positivity rate is 7.18 percent, up 23 percent since last week and triple what it was a month ago.
• Even worse, our average daily incidence rate (per 100,000) is 40.1, up 36 percent since last week and quadruple (four times) what it was a month ago.

No one wants to take away your holidays, especially after the long, hard year we’ve all had. But the fact is that, more and more, this disease is spreading through extended indoor gatherings with people outside your household. That means the big, traditional Thanksgiving dinner is a really bad idea this year. So, please, consider limiting your holiday gatherings to people within your immediate household.

There are plenty of recipe ideas for a smaller celebration. Or, like my family is, you could consider postponing the big dinner until next summer, when things will hopefully be much better.

If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, please keep doing what we’ve all been doing to beat this virus and be sure to follow CDC guidelines for safe holiday celebrations:

• Have a small outdoor meal with family and friends who live in your community.
• Limit the number of guests.
• Have conversations with guests ahead of time to set expectations for celebrating together.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items between use.
• If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.
• Limit the number of people in food preparation areas.
• Have guests bring their own food and drink.
• If sharing food, have one person serve food and use single-use options, like plastic utensils.

This summer, we came together and kept our town nearly COVID-free. Now, we have to work together again to get through the winter. We need to be safe, smart and diligent. What we do over the next few weeks will determine our fate for months to come.

From my family to yours, we wish you a safe, happy Thanksgiving.