Is it possible to prevent your family from contracting COVID?

Living a social, active, fulfilling life in total isolation isn’t easy. What’s the best way to find a balance between living well and staying healthy?

Thankfully, the CDC has plenty of advice available to mothers, fathers, and other guardians hoping to keep their families safe, especially in the coming winter months. Here are a few things to consider as we dive head-first into the cooler months following summertime.

CDC guidelines for family safety under COVID-19

The goal of the many precautions outlined by the CDC and other bodies of authority is simple. These guidelines exist to keep healthy families COVID-free and to help any household members who have been infected to recover quickly and fully.

Recently, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., adjusted the CDC’s stance in regard to the vaccination of children—as of June 18th, 2022, the CDC now recommends that all children five and under receive a vaccination, just like any adult. This new development serves as the heart of its new COVID policy for families—remaining up to date on all COVID vaccinations as a family is the best way to protect the entire gang from a possible infection.

If you have young kids in school, do what you can to become familiar with the faculty and administration responsible for COVID prevention in each classroom. The same goes for your place of employment, if you’re working on-site, as well as other institutions like communities for the elderly that your family is involved with.

And, in the event that somebody in your family does end up falling ill? Follow the appropriate isolation guidelines, allow the patient to get plenty of rest, and be sure to test after his or her symptoms subside to mitigate the risk of infecting someone else.

Other CDC guidelines for family wellness post-COVID

What are some other tips for COVID-19 prevention, both out on the town and when hanging out at home?

• It is recommended that all people ages two and up should wear a mask in a public transportation setting, or in high trafficked areas.
• You and your family should try to minimize unnecessary outings, especially if case reports in your area are higher than usual
• Choose outdoor activities whenever possible—staying home every single day isn’t fun, of course, and excursions in wide, open spaces full of fresh air poses a significantly lower risk of COVID-19 exposure
• Ventilate your home well with open, screened windows, a well-functioning HVAC system, fans, air purifiers, and other DIY solutions that keep the air moving
• Finally, following the CDC guidelines for cleaning your home after COVID-19 is the best way to maintain a sanitary recovery environment—it’s also the best way to eliminate any remnants of the virus after recovering completely

You can check out your city’s COVID-19 community level using this tool on the CDC’s site; we also recommend using the CDC data tracker to stay aware of any spikes or outbreaks close to home, allowing you to plan accordingly.

In many of these categories, the courses of action recommended above should be influenced by the COVID-19 community level that your area falls under. Each community level is assigned a color, and represents a different level of threat.

In a nutshell, a green-coded low community level will only require the bare minimum—mostly, being fully vaccinated and COVID testing for those who do end up experiencing symptoms. A medium community level indicates that those who are immunocompromised should work closely with their healthcare providers when it comes to COVID-19 prevention on a personal level. 

Those living in cities rated at a high community level should never be without their mask in any indoor, public area. If you fit this description, we recommend always going the extra mile, especially when exposed to many strangers at once, such as when taking public transportation.

How to keep your family healthy, no matter what

Healthy families lay the foundation for healthy communities, healthy cities, and healthy nations. No single person can do it all—our best advice, instead, is to do what you can. Keeping  our own families safe from COVID is a great place to start.