During the holidays, many people celebrate many different things, and each celebration and tradition is special. What so many of us have in common is the desire to gather with friends and coworkers, as well as the desire to keep each other safe during the pandemic. OEDIT and the CDPHE have teamed up to provide the following tips when planning gatherings for your workplace this holiday season. Some counties may have local rules for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Always follow all local public health department guidance.
One
Consider requiring those attending the gathering to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test performed within 72 hours of the event. Getting a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine before gathering with others is the single best way to prevent the spread of the virus. Adults 18 and older who are fully vaccinated should also now get a booster dose to stay protected.
The myColorado™ app is an easy way for everyone to access their digital COVID-19 vaccine record. Download the app and set up an account using your Colorado issued ID. Once you have created your account, review the myVaccine information, confirm your information, and click submit. Your digital COVID-19 record should appear in 10 seconds or less. You can then download it to your device, if you wish. For more information, please visit https://mycolorado.state.co.us/myvaccine-record.
Two
Remind guests to stay home if they have COVID-19 symptoms, are positive for COVID-19, or have had recent close contact with someone with COVID-19.
Three
Host an outdoor gathering, which is generally safer than indoor gatherings.
Four
Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces. If gathering indoors, improve ventilation by opening windows and doors (if it’s safe to do so) or running your heat, AC, or an air purifier.
Five
Wear well-fitting masks over your nose and mouth unless you are actively eating or drinking.
Six
Host a shorter celebration. Shorter gatherings are generally safer than longer gatherings.
Seven
Keep the guest list short or host multiple, smaller events. Smaller groups are generally safer than larger groups.
Eight
Encourage attendees to use CO Exposure Notifications. It’s a free service that can notify users of possible exposure to COVID-19. By opting in, your Android or iPhone device will share anonymous tokens with other CO Exposure Notifications users using your phone’s Bluetooth. If another user you’ve been near tests positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period and chooses to enable the exposure notification service, the service will notify you. If you test positive, you can easily and anonymously notify others to stop the spread of COVID-19. Tokens contain no personal information or location data and everything is completely anonymous.
Nine
Keep a list (like Santa!) of guests and their contact information so they can be notified quickly in the event of a COVID-19 exposure.
Ten
Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy the holiday celebrations!