By: Morgan Kellogg 

     As the holidays come closer, so do our families. In a small community like ours, it is especially important to be responsible and make sure you are taking necessary precautions for the holiday season. Here are a few helpful tips to staying healthy this holiday season. 

     First, you must make sure you are washing your hands frequently. The best recommended time for washing your hands is 20 seconds. When washing your hands, make sure you are washing underneath your fingernails as well as halfway up your forearm. Keeping your hands clean ensures you are helping lessen the spread of germs to others around you. If you can, you should also wear a mask at family gatherings, and try to stay six feet apart. By wearing a mask, you benefit others, so they don’t get sick. Staying six feet apart also helps lessen the spread and keeps your family members safe. Although the spread of Covid-19 is increasing, in a recent poll done by The Squire’s Instagram page, 38% of those who participated in the poll said they were still not going to wear masks to holiday celebrations. 

     If you are unable to get together with family this holiday season, you can do a group facetime, or a zoom call to include everyone in the holiday fun. In a poll done by The Squire’s Instagram page, 68% of responders said if they had to choose, they would rather use group facetime over zoom. To do a group facetime, first, set up your laptop, phone, or iPad, so the camera is facing you. Then go into your facetime application and select the plus button in the top right corner of your screen. Now type in each family member you would like to include in the call and press the call button. You can now talk to your family members at just the click of a button.  

     The Squire sat down with former editor and intern at Warren General Hospital, Shannon Kellogg, to ask her about her plans for holiday celebrations. She plans to see family members only in small gatherings and wash her hands frequently, especially when preparing food. She recommends leaving the house only when necessary and limiting travel to avoid unnecessary exposures to the Covid-19 virus. She also added, “If you are feeling sick, you should stay away from people as much as possible, stay home, monitor your symptoms, and contact your physician if symptoms increase, or worsen.” 

     Although this year may be different, we can still enjoy the holiday season with those we love. While wearing your mask, washing your hands, and socially distancing, you can still enjoy your holiday traditions while lessoning the spread, and keeping others safe.