Important Reminders for the Holiday Travel Season
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 
As the holiday season approaches, we want to encourage you to spend this time celebrating with family and friends in a safe and responsible way. If you are planning to travel during the holidays, it is important to follow all guildelines as issued by the CDC to protect yourself and your colleagues when you return to work. If you are traveling to a location with strict guidelines on COVID testing and quarantine, you will need to take these precautions into account as you submit your PTO time after your trip. If needed, you may utilize your Special Circumstance Sick Leave and available PTO for any time spent out of the office, as approved by your manager. If quarantine is recommended by the CDC after your travel and you to not have available PTO, you will be asked to take this time off un-paid.
Based on recommendations by the CDC, you should quarantine if you are gathering with anyone outside of your household or if you have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Please contact your physician for additional information.
As always, please wear your mask at all times and follow the proper PPE while you are at work.
The CDC has compiled a list of considerations when planning holiday gatherings or travel to supplement any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which all gatherings must comply. You can view the complete article here.
Considerations for Small Gatherings of Family and Friends
Celebrating virtually or with members of your own household (who are consistently taking measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19) poses the lowest risk for spread. Your household is anyone who currently lives and shares common spaces in your housing unit (such as your house or apartment). This can include family members, as well as roommates or people who are unrelated to you. People who do not currently live in your housing unit, such as college students who are returning home from school for the holidays, should be considered part of different households. In-person gatherings that bring together family members or friends from different households, including college students returning home, pose varying levels of risk. Organizers and attendees of larger events should consider the risk of virus spread based on event size (number of attendees and other factors) and take steps to reduce the possibility of infection, as outlined in the Considerations for Events and Gatherings.
Considerations for Hosting or Attending a Gathering
If you will be hosting a gathering during the holiday season that brings people who live in different households together, follow CDC tips for hosting gatherings. If you will be attending a gathering that someone else is hosting, follow CDC Considerations for Events and Gatherings. Below are some general considerations for hosting a gathering that brings together people from different households. Guests should be aware of these considerations and ask their host what mitigation measures will be in place during the gathering