In a couple of months, the COVID-19 pandemic will be around for one whole year. Many people have already postponed plans indefinitely, but with no end date yet in sight, people are slowly accepting that this may be the norm for a while. As such, events have slowly started to come back, but with a few key differences. It’s definitely not going to be like how it was last year.
If you want to host a social gathering or event in the coming months, here are some guidelines that you should follow.
Host in large venues
According to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention, people should maintain a distance of six feet apart at all times. This is to avoid microdroplets from other people from infecting you. There’s no telling who your guests have come into contact with. Even if they don’t show any signs now, they may be asymptomatic and still spread the virus.
Practicing social distancing can be difficult if you are at home because of the small space. That means you either invite fewer people or invest a little more in a larger location, especially if you have more than ten people. Preferably, you should rent a private space such as conference rooms or wedding reception venues. This is to limit the number of people going in and out of the location.
Wear masks at all times
Even if you are related or know the people you are inviting, wearing face masks is still mandatory. They are people who come from outside your home and have probably been around others as well. Face masks may not completely block out the virus, but it can reduce infection risk by 65 percent.
You can layer on masks or wear a thicker one to add more protection. The virus spreads through tiny droplets from talking, sneezing, and coughing. As a result, it is unsafe to talk face-to-face with other people without a mask. Another thing that could happen is their droplets getting into your hands and rubbing them on your face.
Provide sanitation stations
You can never be too careful with the virus since a vaccine has yet to be made. Make sure that sanitation services are available near entrances, bathrooms, and high touch areas. Every room that will have people in it should have some rubbing alcohol. Put a fresh bar of soap in every bathroom as well.
When sanitation is readily available, people are more likely to disinfect whenever possible. Some devices can be bought that automatically disinfects the air when people are around. Creating good ventilation is also a good way to reduce the risk of infection. If the air is circulating, then the virus won’t linger too long in the air.
If your venue has a shared bathroom, handles should be regularly wiped clean as well. Also, there should be a limit to the number of people inside at the time. It is a small room that tends to crowd. You can mark off some cubicles and sinks to make sure that people are not standing too close to each other.
Avoid self serve food
Whenever possible, we want to reduce physical contact with people outside your home. In serving food, sharing the serving utensils can be a big risk. That doesn’t mean that you should forego food, though. What you can do is have one person serve the food or have them all divided already. With this, you limit the number of people touching the same objects, and all the guests have to do is get their individual serving.
Similarly, make sure that they are practicing social distancing when getting food and drinks as well. What restaurants and stores do is create markers on the floor to show where the people should stand. Some organization on the part of the host is needed to make sure that people follow it.
