Dear Construction Stops COVID Allies,
During the holiday season we typically enjoy the cheer and warmth of gathering with our families and friends. This year, however, the best way to show our love and protect each other is to stay apart.
COVID-19 is surging in Massachusetts again. As a result, even small gatherings of 10 people or less have a high likelihood of including someone who is sick with COVID-19 and can spread it to others. Often, people who are infectious may have no symptoms at all.
We know that even in small gatherings where people are close together and not wearing masks, the virus spreads quickly. We are sharing with you one of many stories that we heard about after Thanksgiving:
Relatives from four different households got together for a family dinner. There were a total of eight people there that night that had been taking precautions. Unfortunately, one of them, despite feeling well at the dinner, was already infectious. This resulted in seven of them becoming sick with COVID-19 and two of them requiring hospitalization. We can prevent stories like this from happening again.
You have the power to keep yourself and your family safe from COVID-19 this holiday season. For this reason, we implore you to cancel any gatherings you have planned with those outside your household. Please celebrate the holidays with just those you live with. Please do not travel to celebrate the holidays. Please do not invite others over to your house or visit other houses, even if that means not seeing loved ones in person this year.
We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we have to continue to work hard together to prevent illness so that we can come out of this challenging time together. So please, reconsider any plans that you have as we near the end of 2020 to keep everyone at home, at work and in our communities safe — as we work together toward a brighter 2021.
Share some time with your other family and friends on the phone or a video call so that next year we can all celebrate together again in person.
For more information about how to stay safe at home from COVID-19 during the holidays, see: https://ConstructionStopsCOVID.org/
In solidarity,
Greater Boston Building Trades Unions, as part of the Construction Stops COVID Coalition