SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With the rules and safety protocols surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic changing almost daily, sometimes it’s hard to gauge what activities are okay and what’s still not advised. This is especially true for Mother’s Day weekend.
“Since both [of] my parents are vaccinated now, and I think the whole family is pretty much vaccinated now, we’re going to gather at their house,” explained Sacramento Resident Thao.
ABC10 Checked in with Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to get his take on what he’s comfortable with for the holiday.
“I think it is very low, low risk for people to get together this Mother’s Day weekend and celebrate,” admitted Schaffner.
He said it’s a big change from last year.
“Last year we were locked up or virtually so. And we were concerned about transmission everywhere in this country. Now with vaccines and the acceptance of the vaccines, it’s clear cases are coming down, hospitalizations are going down, particularly older people are really getting very well protected,” explained Schaffner.
So what’s safe as far as gathering goes?
“I think if everyone’s been vaccinated, it’s pretty much like the old days. You can take off your masks, hug and kiss, and you’ll be just fine,” said Schaffner.
What if people are not vaccinated?
“Keep the masks on, keep the group size small, keep your distance. Have joy but be very careful. If you can do it outside or on the porch, even better,” said Schaffner.
Of course, Schaffner never misses an opportunity to promote vaccination.
“If there are any mothers out there who haven’t been vaccinated, encourage them to be vaccinated," said Schaffner. "And if you intend to be with a mother on mother’s day, and you haven’t been vaccinated, it’s not too late yet.”
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