The second wave of coronavirus infection has started in the majority of the countries around the world in the past few weeks, which is why health agencies including the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have released new holiday guidelines to urge people to take precautionary measures.
More specifically, the new CDC holiday guidelines particularly ask people to try to turn down dinners and invitations to gatherings as they can quickly turn into a coronavirus outbreak.
Instead of going for conventional ways of celebration, there is a need to find alternative ways, especially in the upcoming weeks. This is because the transmission rates of the coronavirus are increasing day by day.
Additionally, the vast majority also remains susceptible to the virus although the pandemic is going on since February. This means that there is a very high risk of even further spread of the virus, which may pave the way for an increase in mortality rates.
During the process, many preventable deaths can happen in the US as well as elsewhere around the world. According to recent research from last week, staying home and following preventive measures can avoid as many as 100,000 deaths.
However, most people, instead of taking the instructions more seriously than before, are not taking preventive measures. Young adults, specifically, are no longer wearing masks as strictly as before or avoiding large crowds and staying at home.
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In any of the dinners or holiday events, they are also more likely to not follow rules for reducing the risk of virus transmission.
On the other hand, not having a choice or not being able to say no may also be a problem for many people as doing so can potentially affect their relationship with the person who is inviting.
Opinions and reactions over the pandemic still significantly vary amongst people. Some may not take turning down a dinner invitation for precautionary and health-related reasons in a positive manner.
For others, it just may be difficult to turn down an invitation politely and gracefully. However, it should be noted that health should always be the priority, especially during an ongoing global pandemic.
Therefore, being able to say no especially to events that are not following coronavirus safety guidelines and those with a lot of attendees is important. To do so politely, do not go into lengthy details of the reason for not attending.
A simple no with an apology is enough or a person can also send gifts to a particular gathering instead of attending.
To know whether coronavirus precautionary measures are being followed at an event, simply ask the host if he or she is following implementing CDC holiday guidelines.
Do not attend a dinner or any other event after being exposed to the virus or having symptoms of the infection.
If symptoms appear after attending, inform the host and other people who joined so that they can also quarantine and get tested for the infection individually to prevent further spread of the virus.
