Home for the holidays: How to navigate vaccinated and unvaccinated gatherings this year

Will the workplace holiday party be coming back? Experts aren't sure if it's a good idea.

Just a month ago, many people in Ontario were under the impression they would be able to gather with their family and friends for the holidays without being too concerned about the risk of COVID-19 infection.

But the emergence of the new Omicron variant over the last few weeks has changed things, forcing families to choose who will be invited for dinner and who will not be.

Last week, the Ontario government changed their guidelines for gatherings, asking families to only meet up with a maximum of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Officials are also recommending that the gatherings be among fully vaccinated individuals, and, if not, that people should remain masked and physically distanced.

Canadians are also being asked not to travel internationally for non-essential reasons.

However, according to a poll conducted on Dec. 14, more than 40 per cent of Ontarians still plan to meet up with their extended family during the holidays.

According to the survey, about 70 per cent of respondents said they were either very comfortable or somewhat comfortable gathering with vaccinated people outside of their households.

Only about 25 per cent per cent of respondents said they would be comfortable gathering with those who were unvaccinated.

But how do you navigate that conversation? Do you ask guests to show proof of vaccination prior to entering your household or do you trust visitors to do what they think is best? Is there a way to ensure everyone feels welcome and safe?

In this week’s episode of Life Unmasked, the team speaks with Solarina Ho, a writer with CTVNews.ca, who dived into this topic with etiquette and health experts.

Life Unmasked airs first on iHeart Radio every Tuesday morning before becoming available on other streaming platforms. The team will be taking a short break for the holidays and will return in the new year.

If you have questions for the podcast team, or an idea for an episode, please email [e-mail].