How to have a low-risk holiday

In an effort to minimize the spread of Covid-19 over the fall holidays, Austin Public Health officials are providing lists of recommendations for safely celebrating Halloween and Día de los Muertos. One of their tips, according to Dr. Mark Escott, interim Austin-Travis County health authority, is to create new – and safer – traditions. “My family, like many others, is making new traditions this year that allow us to celebrate holidays while staying safe and healthy,” Escott said in a press release from APH. “It’s very important that we don’t let down our guard and let Covid-19 spread during the holidays. We want our families to be healthy, so it is important that we only gather in-person with our households and celebrate virtually or at a distance with those outside of our homes.” On the list of low-risk recommendations for families are activities like carving pumpkins, hosting a virtual costume contest, decorating masks and making an altar to remember departed loved ones. Health officials recommend avoiding high-risk activities like trick-or-treating, indoor costume parties or haunted house events, or crowded celebrations in cemeteries.