If you’ve been following the news, you know that Connecticut just rolled back it’s COVID safety guidelines to Phase 2 and there have been recent spikes of COVID-19 cases throughout 60 plus communities. As Hospitalization rates have surged, Governor Lamont wants to make sure that as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, everyone is prepared and stays COVID-19 free. With college students coming home for the Thanksgiving holiday, and family members traveling for celebrations, it is important to know what is considered safe and what is not. This is because we don’t want to spread COVID-19 and for Thanksgiving to be a reason as to why numbers increase after the holidays. We know it’s hard, and we are right here with you. All of us have families and want to spend the holidays together.

So…..AFC Urgent Care Torrington is here to help you prepare for a COVID-19 Free Thanksgiving in 2020 with important information and guidance.

COVID-19 Travel Safety for Thanksgiving

Traveling is very restricted right now and it may increase your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. As much as we all want to be together, we suggest staying home as this is the best way to protect yourself and others. You can host virtual gatherings if you have friends and families in red zone states with high cases of COVID-19. It might seem like a bummer, but this way, you’ll still have the opportunity to celebrate with them while staying healthy and COVID-19 free.

If you do decide to travel, here is a checklist if you are hosting a gathering, or if you are going to a relatives somewhere else:

1. Check travel restrictions before you decide to drive or fly anywhere. If it’s a red zone state we highly suggest you avoid going. If you do go, prepare to quarantine and to get a few COVID-19 tests to ensure you’re negative.
2. As much as is possible, start quarantining now, at least a week before the holiday.
3. Get tested for COVID-19. Even if you’re celebrating locally and you’re not going to a different state, you still need to be diligent about this so you can prevent the spread and keep your friends and families safe.
4. Get a Flu shot and avoid the twindemic. Flu season is already here and the last thing you want is to get both COVID-19 and the Flu. If you get a flu vaccine you’ll not only be flu protected, but it will help medical professionals rule out the flu when diagnosing COVID-19.
5. Wash your hands and don’t touch your face, eyes and mouth. Bring extra supplies like masks and hand sanitizer to an event. Even if the gathering is indoors you should still wear a mask.
6. Practice social distancing. Governor Lamont’s recent restrictions include reducing restaurant capacity to 50% and keeping the number of people in a gathering to a maximum of 10.

What to do during Thanksgiving

Whatever you end up doing for Thanksgiving we hope that you stay safe and responsible when attending or hosting a gathering. We highly suggest that you hold everyone accountable for bringing their own foods and to avoid sharing foods. As mentioned earlier, you should get tested for COVID-19 before you go. You should also quarantine and avoid non essential contact with others, 14 days prior to your plans. If you are getting tested for COVID-19 before the event, we suggest allowing 72 hours beforehand to obtain results. After your event, you should also consider getting tested at least 3-5 days after to ensure you did not contract the virus.

AFC Urgent Care Torrington can help test you for COVID-19 this Thanksgiving

The risk for COVID-19 is not knowing if you have it or not. AFC Urgent Care Torrington is aware of the recent restrictions in CT and hope that you take this time to prepare for Thanksgiving and future holidays. We offer both COVID-19 rapid testing with results in 30 minutes (by appointment only)  Mondays -Saturdays, and PCR standard COVID-19 testing with results available in 3 business days depending on lab capacity. We also offer the quadrivalent flu vaccine to help protect against the flu.

Our center is open 7 days a week and we are located on 1179 E. Main St. You can always walk-in for X-rays, flu shots, sprains, wounds, food borne illnesses and other urgent care needs at any time. With extended hours from 8 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday and weekend hours from 8 am to 5 pm, we make it convenient for our families and friends in the Torrington community to seek quality treatment from a brand they can trust.

We hope you enjoy a COVID-19 Free Thanksgiving.