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What Does Fresh COVID-19 Threat Mean for Easter, Passover Celebrations?

March 31, 2021

However you observe Easter, Passover and Ramadan, it’s not a good time to relax safety precautions whether you’re in public or visiting with friends or relatives.

The holiday weekend approaches as the state’s COVID-19 test positive rate surged past 5 percent this week, up from about 3.5 percent during the previous seven-day rolling average, with hospitalizations and deaths also rising.

“We should be worried about the situation we’re in right now,” says Dr. Ulysses Wu, Hartford HealthCare’s System Director of Infection Disease and Chief Epidemiologist.

Once you’re fully vaccinated, your life will start looking a little more like pre-COVID. Data show vaccines can protect you and help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“The most important thing is that we need to break the cycle of transmission,” says Dr. Wu. “If we don’t break the cycle of transmission, there’s going to be more variants, there’s going to be more cases, more hospitalizations and, unfortunately, more deaths.

If You’re Fully Vaccinated

How do you know if you’re fully vaccinated? The CDC says it’s official two weeks after your second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson).

That allows you, says the CDC, to safely:

  • Visit indoors with other fully vaccinated people without masks or physical distancing.
  • Visit indoors, no masks or physical distancing, with low-risk members of a single household.
  • Avoid quarantine or testing after a known exposure to COVID-19.

Even if you’re fully vaccinated:

  • Wear a mask and physical distance in public. Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.
  • Do not attend gatherings with unvaccinated people from more than one household.
  • Avoid medium or large gatherings.

Travel

The CDC suggests postponing holiday travel.

If you must travel:

  • Get a viral test 1-3 days before leaving.
  • Get tested 3-5 days after returning home.
  • Self-quarantine for seven days after returning, even if your test is negative. (If you don’t get tested, self-quarantine for 10 days.

Getting Vaccinated

Starting Thursday, anyone 16 years old and up who lives or works in the state is eligible for a vaccination. (Those 16 and 17 years old must be accompanied by a  parent or guardian to their vaccine appointment.)

Demand is expected to far exceed current vaccine supplies, so health officials request patience when trying to make appointment.

Expect some delays when scheduling an appointment online or through a call center. If you’d prefer to schedule your appointment by phone, call the Hartford HealthCare Access Center at 860.827.7690 or toll-free at 833.943.5721.