{"id":174518,"date":"2020-12-08T15:25:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T13:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=97370"},"modified":"2020-12-08T15:25:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T13:25:55","slug":"how-to-stay-safe-and-sane-this-december-festive-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/how-to-stay-safe-and-sane-this-december-festive-season\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Stay Safe (And Sane) This December Festive Season"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Be safe this festive season Photo: Biodx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Covid-19 is still out there and gaining momentum in both the Eastern and Western Cape \u2013 add to this an influx of holiday makers and we could be headed straight for a second wave.<\/p>\n

Burt Rodrigues CEO of Biodx and clinical psychologist Alexa Scher share their thoughts on how to stay safe during the festive season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s that time of year where normally everyone is thinking of braaivleis, beer and open roads but this year there\u2019s one huge difference. Covid-19 is still here and until we\u2019ve been vaccinated we\u2019re all still vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Compared to the United States and Europe our Covid-19 statistics have been pretty good the last few months but we\u2019re seeing a large rise in certain parts of the country \u2013 and what\u2019s worrying is that these are areas known for holiday partying and packed beaches.<\/p>\n

Super spreader events
This week\u2019s news started off with reports of matric rage superspreader events around the country with multiple cases of covid-19 emerging. Many of these young people will be not only spreading the virus where they\u2019re staying, but the surrounding areas before boarding planes and other transport to return home \u2013 with the virus\u2026
Companies are holding end of year parties with people posting photos on Facebook and Instagram of \u2018happy\u2019 staff dancing the night away, often in inside venues.
And talking of super spreader events, packed beaches and crowded restaurants make keeping safe social distancing over peak holiday times a real challenge.<\/p>\n

Holiday travel danger
\u201cWhether you\u2019re flying or driving you\u2019re going to come across many covid-19 transmission points along the way, whether getting an Uber or Gautrain to the airport, stopping on the road for breakfast or a lunchtime burger or even paying toll fees. These are times when the excitement of being on holiday mustn\u2019t stop you remembering the Staying Safe Rules. Wash your hands, wear your mask, have a spare one with you and carry your own personal sanitiser\/ disinfectant with you everywhere\u201d, says Burt Rodrigues, CEO of Biodx.<\/p>\n

Another big concern is the annual migration of workers from urban areas around the country back to rural parts of the Eastern Cape, which are currently hot spots, and then returning to cities around the country to work after the holidays. Possibly carrying the virus back with them.<\/p>\n

Christmas time \u2013 family time
According to Rodrigues, \u201cThe good news is that we\u2019re likely to have great weather allowing us to celebrate outside which does help. Just one person, who may be showing no symptoms, is all it takes for whole families to become infected and for the next few days until they\u2019re diagnosed, spread the virus even further.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having fun whilst keeping control
Many people might find turning down social engagements which they\u2019re not sure about difficult at this time of year. Here are a few useful tips:
\u2022 Don\u2019t be afraid to ask how many people will be at an event before accepting invitations
\u2022 If you arrive an at indoor gathering and no-one\u2019s wearing masks, don\u2019t be afraid to keep yours on
\u2022 If it\u2019s a sit-down event and the chairs are close together, take your food and maybe stand or sit apart \u2013 if you feel really uncomfortable excuse yourself and leave
\u2022 Take your own sanitiser\/disinfectant with you and don\u2019t be afraid to use it
\u2022 If you\u2019re on a beach and someone comes to sit too close, either move or politely ask them to give you some more space<\/p>\n

Making your event safe
\u2022 Use paper plates and plastic wrapped cutlery
\u2022 Make sure your seating is preferably outside or by an open window
\u2022 Spread any chairs appropriate distances apart
\u2022 Think about who you\u2019re inviting \u2013 are they people who mix with a lot of people? Will you be having at risk\/elderly people there with them?
\u2022 Serve snacks (chips, dips etc) in separate paper containers so there\u2019s no sharing off one bowl
\u2022 The same goes for any food served \u2013 don\u2019t let people share serving platters unless they\u2019re a couple
\u2022 Have several hand sanitisers, spare masks and disinfectant available for your guests<\/p>\n

Finding a balance
According to clinical psychologist Alexa Scher, \u201cWhen people are struggling with their mental health, which many have during these difficult months, by now they\u2019re feeling, \u2018I\u2019m not doing this anymore. I\u2019m going to spend time with my friends and family, throwing precautions and safety measures out the window. It\u2019s all about keeping a balance of your mental and physical health. It\u2019s really important to see people and feel connected whilst still staying safe and adhering to Covid-19 guidelines. It shouldn\u2019t be all or nothing \u2013 it can be both. Here are some tips to help manage anxiety during this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 Control your own environment (Mask, sanitiser and distancing)
\u2022 Focus on the now \u2013 one thing at a time
\u2022 Try to be patient with yourself and others
\u2022 Find ways to show yourself love, kindness and compassion
\u2022 Let your anxieties out \u2013 talking to friends and family about how you\u2019re feeling so you\u2019re all on the same page. Tell them:
\u2022 You feel uncomfortable in crowded spaces
\u2022 You might choose a spot furthest away from the crowd<\/p>\n

\u201cA simple conversation with each other to establish what can make everyone feel most comfortable is often all it takes. We need to balance our short term goals to feel connected and see those we love, with the long term goals of making sure we keep our loved ones alive to share many more years of celebrations,\u201d concludes Scher.<\/p>\n

At Biodx, we care about people and planet. So we\u2019ve put together some infographics to help you stay aware of potential covid-19 transmission points while you\u2019re travelling this holiday season. Hopefully by doing so we can help prevent the spread and save some lives in the process.
Safe, happy holidays, whether you be staying at home or travelling.<\/p>\n

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Be safe this festive season Photo: Biodx Covid-19 is still out there and gaining momentum in both the Eastern and Western Cape \u2013 add to this an influx of holiday makers and we could be headed straight for a second wave. Burt Rodrigues CEO of Biodx and clinical psychologist Alexa Scher share their thoughts on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":174519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9021,1],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-174518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mypr","8":"category-south-africa","9":"tag-mypr","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/how-to-stay-safe-and-sane-this-december-festive-season.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}