Spring Holiday 2021 Guidance

Celebrating the spring holidays such as Passover, Easter, and Ramadan will be different this year, again, due to COVID-19. However, with warmer weather and more people getting fully vaccinated (see guidance below), there are more options to celebrate with family and friends and be safe. Below are some tips from the Cambridge Public Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to enjoy this holiday season safely, slow the spread of COVID-19, and protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.

Everyone Can Make Holiday Celebrations Safer

• Wear a mask.
• Practice physical distancing (at least 6 feet apart) and avoid crowds.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Get the COVID-19 vaccine when you are eligible.

Please remember that the safest way to observe religious and spiritual holidays is to gather virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others.

• Enjoy traditional meals with those who live with you and invite others to attend virtually.
• Practice religious holiday customs at home.
• Watch/listen to holiday-themed movies or music.
• Prepare and deliver a meal or holiday treats to a neighbor.
• Attend religious ceremonies and cultural performances virtually.

If you plan to celebrate with others, outdoors is safer than indoors. Massachusetts outdoor gatherings are currently limited to 25 people at private residences.

If celebrating indoors, make sure to open windows and doors (if possible) to let in fresh air. Massachusetts indoor gatherings are currently limited to 10 people at private residences.

If you plan to attend a religious service in person, see if there's an outdoor or virtual service you can attend. If indoors, be sure to stay six feet from anyone not in your immediate household and remember to wear a mask. Avoid singing because it puts everyone at higher risk for spreading (and catching) the virus. See if your house of worship has services with recorded music or has a soloist who wears a mask while singing. This would make a service safer compared to having live choirs. Once the service is over, leave the house of worship.

Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. If you want to travel, please consider making it safer by making the travel length shorter to avoid stops and/or layovers in between. Please follow CDC requirements and recommendations.

Information for Fully Vaccinated People

The COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick, especially severe illness and death. People who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic. However, we are still learning if fully vaccinated people can spread the virus to unvaccinated people. That is why fully vaccinated people must still be cautious to protect others.

You are fully vaccinated:

• Two weeks after one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or
• Two weeks after the SECOND dose of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.

Ways You Can Celebrate the Spring Holidays if You are Fully Vaccinated:

• Visit indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
• Visit indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Skip quarantining and testing after you are exposed to someone with COVID-19 as long as you don’t have any symptoms
• However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

If you are not fully vaccinated, even if you have received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine (either Moderna or Pfizer), you should continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands frequently.

Please Take these Precautions to Keep Everyone Safe Around You:

• You should still postpone domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.
• You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.