Precautions Important For Upcoming Holidays, County Officials Say

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Camden County Director Louis Cappelli Jr. is advising residents that they must take the same precautions that were recommended for Thanksgiving and apply them to the upcoming holiday season to stay safe and stop the spread of the coronavirus. His op-ed can be found below:

When public health officials began sounding the alarm over the potential for massive COVID-19 spikes as a result of Thanksgiving gatherings, there were a few responses I heard more than others.

The first and most common was a reluctant acceptance. Our community largely limited their gatherings to much smaller numbers than usual over Thanksgiving, and while we won’t know the full impact of those sacrifices for several weeks, I am incredibly grateful for the understanding and dedication displayed in an effort to protect others.

Another I heard often has become typical in pandemic life, questions or plans to bring large groups together virtually via Zoom or other platforms. Though less than ideal, many have temporarily embraced this type of congregation. I’ve even heard from grandparents who couldn’t use a computer six months ago, but are now in charge of setting up weekly video conferences with their families.

However, it was another type of response I often heard that has worried me over the last several weeks. It usually sounded something like, “I’ll sacrifice Thanksgiving, but I’m seeing my family for the holidays.”

I’ve heard now from a growing number of folks with adult children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews, who say that while they may have been willing to stay home on Thanksgiving, cancelling Christmas or Hanukkah gatherings would be a bridge too far.

This is a difficult statement to respond to. Like other officials I have tried to keep my attention, and the public’s, on one holiday at a time. But now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we have to have another difficult conversation.

Holiday gatherings this December will need to follow the same guidelines as those we celebrated in the spring, summer, and fall. Indoor parties are still not safe, large gatherings pose tremendous risks to vulnerable family members, and the more people you come into contact with, the greater the risk that someone will be infected.

Hospitalizations and cases are up across the country, as well as here in New Jersey, but a vaccine seems to be just weeks away from its first recipients.

Test positivity and transmission rates are higher than they’ve ever been, but deaths are down and fewer people are dying.

This has been a long and difficult fight, and the light at the end of the tunnel is clearer than ever. But we have avoided skyrocketing mortality rates and broad economic shutdowns because we have been careful and strategic. We can’t afford to lose the progress we have made, and even one day of letting our guard down, especially if we all let our guards down at once, could have that exact effect.

I’m as disappointed as you are, but I’ll be continuing to reiterate this message for the next several weeks in our weekly virtual town halls and other events. This won’t be easy for anyone, especially those who haven’t seen their family or friends for months or since the start of the pandemic, but it is very important that we begin preparing for another socially distant holiday.

Now, I know that not everyone will heed this advice, no matter how desperately we ask you not to travel or host others indoors. So, if you are going to celebrate with others for the holidays, here’s what you need to do:

• Schedule an appointment to be tested for COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to when you plan on seeing others;
• If you test positive, you should not see anyone until you’ve been tested again and test negative;
• If you test negative, quarantine yourself for 14 days to ensure that you do not contract the virus before seeing your loved ones;
• If you are feeling sick at all, stay home;
• And make sure that everyone you’re seeing follows the same steps.

If you need to be tested, there are resources for finding and scheduling a test on CamdenCounty.com and on our COVID-19 data dashboard.

We will have many more holidays together in 2021 and beyond, but only if we protect ourselves and our loved ones this holiday season. Too many families are already facing empty chairs at the kitchen table every morning, and our singular focus has to be preventing any additional loss of life.

All of the guidance we issued for Thanksgiving remains in effect for the forthcoming holidays. Limit your gatherings to those who live in your home, or a very small number of people, and if you can, gather outside. Always wear a mask and social distance whenever possible.

We will get through this, but it will still take sacrifices to get across the finish line. Stay safe and stay tuned to www.CamdenCounty.com for future updates impacting our community.