Taking a cue from the NBA, experts suggest planning a holiday bubble
We're starting to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases in Houston. One way we know that the virus spreads is through gatherings. With the holidays right around the corner, that's a concern.
Holiday celebrations could look a lot different this year.
SEE ALSO: How to enjoy the holidays and stay safe during a pandemic
Dr. James McDeavitt, the Dean of Clinical Affairs at Baylor College of Medicine has noticed people sharing two different perspectives.
"There's the group of people that said, 'Can't have them. Don't have a holiday. It's not safe,' on one extreme. And then the other extreme, we have people who say, 'The virus doesn't exist. Don't worry about it, just go about your business as usual.' I think the latter is dangerous. I think the former is unrealistic. I don't think people are not going to celebrate," McDeavitt said.
SEE ALSO: These fall activities put you at the highest risk for COVID-19 transmission
With that, Baylor College of Medicine decided to help provide some guidance. They created a holiday checklist. The checklist lays out things you need to do over the next month, including things you can do starting today, like getting your flu shot. The list also details things you need to do two weeks before, such as doing daily temperature checks.
SEE ALSO: Health experts suggest you avoid this during Thanksgiving gatherings
The checklist idea came from the concept of the NBA bubble.
"When the NBA season started the finals, they had zero infections. Remarkable. Zero infections. Well, they did not do that by getting all the guys together and saying, 'Please be really, really careful.' They had a plan. It was a thoughtful plan. It was a deliberate plan," said McDeavitt.
Now he wants us to create our own bubbles.
SEE ALSO: Why you don't want to wait until the last minute to do holiday shopping this year
"I think if you follow that meticulously you will be relatively safe. I think if you follow it halfway, I wouldn't even do it because it's just going to give you a false sense of security and it probably does more harm than good. So think about creating your family bubble," said McDeavitt.
He cautions if you are immunosuppressed, elderly or high risk, you need to assess your situation.
"Make a plan. Don't go into it hoping everything is going to be okay. Think proactively about how you're going to spend your holiday and sit down with your family and have meaningful conversations about what level of risk you're willing and ready to take on as a family," said Deavitt.
