HOLIDAY PARTY MASK WEARING ETIQUETTE - EVERYDAY ETIQUETTE DURING OMICRON

HOLIDAY PARTY MASK WEARING ETIQUETTE — EVERYDAY ETIQUETTE DURING OMICRON

Our question is about holiday party invitations, entertaining and mask-wearing.

Today is the day we had planned to send out our holiday party invitations and order a Vermont party ham, but we have no idea what to do because the new Omicron variant of Covid is spreading like wild fires in the USA, and we need to know how to party in this time of the Omicron variant? The usual suspects had been advised that we were hoping to continue our ritual holiday party – having suspended it the year before. Sadly, the biggest problem is that some potential guests are not fully vaccinated, many of whom travel around a lot. We invite mostly people from the neighborhood and close friends, but some commute into the city.

Dr. Fauci and the WHO say to only have small gatherings, mandatory mask wearing for those not vaccinating and good ventilation, and distancing. Well good ventilation isn’t possible with a fire burning in the fireplace, the thermostat up to 69 degrees, and the social awkwardness of asking people to wear a mask. We’re all sick of wearing masks. We can’t ask people to show us their CDC vaccine status and their most recent Covid test result! Do we wing it and have faith that anyone sick or who has been exposed decides not to attend our holiday party? Or do we simply call the whole thing off for another December? Everybody wants to party, especially the kids.

Do we go back to serious mask-wearing once again and trying to decipher muffled semi-audible voices? Don’t get me wrong our family is all into the everyday etiquette of mask-wearing. Once again, especially the children who are growing up knowing that the mask protects them. We don’t want to be responsible for spreading Covid with our good cheer.

–Linda, Greenwich, CT

Yes, Linda, unfortunately it is back to mask-wearing. The good news is that government imposed restraints actually relieve a lot of anxiety. There will always be those stubborn know-it-alls that need to take a stand. In an odd way, if you’re a mask-wearer, it may annoy you that those non-compliant friends feel justified, but cut them slack, have empathy toward the non-mask-wearer.

The most important thing to remember is that we wouldn’t have all the new variants Delta and Omicron if everyone in our community – and around the world – had gotten their vaccines and booster. After all, masks are not only protecting you from catching the virus they’re depriving the virus of the opportunity to develop into a more harmful illness!

Panicking can only be counterproductive. Instead, take the new Omicron variant seriously. Vaccinating, masking, distancing, ventilating, hand washing, testing and distancing are key, so if you can’t offer all that protection–all those safety measures–for your holiday guests, don’t put out a party ham. Think of your party dips as Petri dishes ready to host a virus.