As we near the holiday season, St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital (SJPVH), members of Dignity Health Central Coast, want to remind our community to stay safe and protected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises individuals to celebrate virtually or with household members to reduce exposure and the spread of coronavirus.
“As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in our communities, we are calling on individuals to follow the guidelines recommended by the CDC and county public health departments,” said Robert Streeter, MD, Chief Medical Officer of St. John’s Regional Medical Center. “While they are simple steps that community members can take, they are life-saving and are proved to minimize exposure to the virus.”
As the holiday season approaches, we must be mindful that the COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent, and we urge community members to continue to make their health and safety a priority. The more people an individual interacts with when attending a festive gathering, the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and spreading the virus to others.
We are prepared and ready to provide for the health and safety of our patients, and want to remind our community members to take the proper steps to protect themselves and their loved ones. We urge community members to continue to follow the CDC guidelines for hosting gatherings during this holiday season:
- Require guests to wear masks.
- Limit the number of attendees to allow people from different households to remain at least 6 feet apart at all times.
- Host outdoor rather than indoor gatherings, ensure guests are still seated with physical distance.
- Encourage guests to avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors. Keep music levels low, so people do not have to shout or speak loudly to be heard.
- Encourage attendees to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items such as serving utensils.
- Plan ahead and ask guests to avoid contact with people outside of their households for 14 days before the gathering.
- Do not let pets interact with people outside the household.
If we all do our part to stay safe, together, we can make an impact on reducing COVID-19 cases in our community.
For the complete list to host or attend a gathering, visit CDC.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html.
