Summer is here and we want nothing more than to be outside, barbecuing and entertaining. While it’s something we all long for and it may be possible, it’s important to think of the necessary safety precautions to keep you and your family safe.
As parts of Canada loosen up on outside gatherings, you may be able to enjoy time with your friends and family outside, but only if you follow certain precautions. Everyone must be healthy, you must keep the group small, and you must maintain a safe social distance.
Here are a few tips to keep your gatherings safe.
Keep the Groups Small
It’s tempting to invite anyone and everyone you know to your gathering, but not quite yet. Keep your group to a minimum. It’s best if you keep all invitees from the same household too. Then you don’t have to worry as much about the number of people as it’s just two households intermingling. It’s when you bring in multiple households that the risks increase.
Keep it Outdoors
As tempting as it is to ask everyone inside, especially when the sun goes down and the bugs come out, don’t do it. Take the necessary precautions outdoors with sunscreen, bug spray, and plenty of coverage to keep everyone comfortable and cool while staying outdoors.
Encourage Bring your Own Foods
It’s not the norm, and you may feel rude, but asking your friends or family members to bring their own food isn’t an awful idea. Any food you’ll grill you can share, as long as you use proper precautions while grilling it. Foods such as dips or finger foods, though, should be kept separate among the households.
Use Disposable Silverware and Plates
Don’t risk passing germs with your household silverware, plates, or cups. Use all disposable tableware to reduce the risk. You can just toss everything when everyone’s done eating. There’s less to clean up and less risk of passing the virus.
Follow Government Guidelines
Always follow the government guidelines as they change frequently as they learn additional facts about COVID-19. While we all just want to live our ‘normal lives,’ this is our new normal for now. Adhering to the guidelines the government suggests, helps keep everyone safe.
Most importantly, though, enjoy your food and company. Enjoy the time you can have together, even though it may look a little different from you’re used to. Looking at the bright side, at least we can see a few people while we continue to social distance.
We know this time is hard. Keep your chin up, do what you can while keeping everyone safe, and if anyone feels sick or was exposed, make sure they stay home. When we all do our part, we can have our summer get-togethers, just in our ‘new normal.