We are planning a family reunion for the holidays: how to do it?

The summer and festive seasons are good times to reunite grandparents, children, and grandchildren. When several households meet, precautions must be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The main risk is that people who are not (or not yet) symptomatic may infect others. Here are a few ways to reduce the risk of contamination and to help you have a safe and successful reunion.

1. Reduce the risks of contamination before your arrival: during the 2 weeks preceding the reunion, take particular care not to be contaminated, avoid numerous meetings and close physical contact with others, and strictly respect the gestures that are barriers to entry.

2. If the journey involves risks of contamination (train, plane, boat, bus): respect a quarantine on arrival.

To make sure you don't pass on the coronavirus to your loved ones, the quarantine must last 14 days. If no one shows any symptoms during these two weeks, precautions can cease within the group and everyone can interact safely.

All new arrivals will respect the quarantine and take all the precautions described below before being included in the group. Those who have contacts outside the group (shopping, outings, activities) will take care not to contaminate themselves.

3. If a quarantine is not possible: follow the precautions below and protect elderly or vulnerable people first.

Whenever possible, interact with others outside or with the windows wide open. Ventilating active living areas reduces the risk of aerosol contamination. See the question Is the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus transmitted by aerosols?. It's better to wear a mask and an extra sweater than to catch COVID-19 !

Ideally, separate bedrooms, bathrooms, and toilets between households, or at least between those who are vulnerable and those who are not (see the question How do you live with a vulnerable person?). Make sure you wash your hands regularly, avoid hugs, and maintain a distance of at least one meter between you (see question on distances).

Be careful when preparing meals (see question How to organize a meal at home without risk for the guests?). The most important thing is to eat outside, that the cook respects strict hygiene rules, that the table is wide enough so as not to be too close to each person facing another, and long enough so as not to be too close to our neighbour.

For sanitary facilities, it is preferable to disinfect them after each use. Put a little bleach or a chlorine tablet in the toilet bowl and close the lid before flushing, then spray a little 70% alcohol on your hands, on the toilet seat, and finally on flush mechanism. When you leave the toilet: remember to disinfect with alcohol the inside and then outside door handles. Leave the toilet door wide open in order to ventilate. Avoid going to the toilet just after another person if they are not from the same household (see question Can the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus be caught by going to the toilet?)

If elderly parents want to hug/cuddle their children or grandchildren or vice versa, consider masked hugs to limit the risk of contamination.

4. Provide sleeping arrangements where only people from the same household are in the same room.

It is advisable to be very careful with shared rooms: sleeping or staying for a long time in a closed place (room or tent) with someone from another household should be avoided. Prefer separate rooms. Keep the windows open when sharing a room. Pay particular attention to public places such as restaurants, elevators, shared bathrooms.

5. Prefer outdoor and non-contact activities.

Leisure activities encouraged: individual, if collective, practice outdoors and without contact. For racket-based games, disinfect balls and sleeves between each player.

Leisure activities to be done with vigilance: card games and board games. Wash your hands regularly.

6. Appoint a hygiene officer.

A manager can explain to everyone to watch their health: the slightest "cold" or symptom should be reported to the family. The same applies if you learn that someone you met just before the trip is suspected of having a COVID-19.

The person in charge will regularly spray with 70% alcohol, or wipe with an alcoholic wipe the door handles, stair railings, fridge, and coffee machine handles and other surfaces where the virus is transmitted (see question How can we improve the hygiene of our environment?).

The hygiene manager will encourage everyone to wash their hands properly and often. He or she will also check that the rooms are well ventilated.

If the group is large and the task complex, do not hesitate to make a task checklist like in hotels and airports: one line per task to be monitored, and a distribution of tasks among the group so that the person in charge of a particular task (disinfecting, for example) indicates the date, time, and initials when the task is done ;-)