'Tis the season to be antisocial

I'VE PUT the finishing touches on my Christmas pelau and changed the toilet paper rolls in the bathrooms. With all the Christmas cooking and cleaning out of the way, I've had a few rare, spare moments to think about what the season means in the context of a pandemic.

People keep saying, "Don't you realise we're in the middle of a pandemic?" But the word "middle" implies there will be an end, as there was a beginning. That seems like a fantasy at this point. How do we apply this understanding to a time that's supposed to bring people together?

The paralysis and terror of this global health crisis have the distinct feel of holiday houseguests who won't leave even though they've devoured all your ham – cloves, foil and all.

Last Christmas was all but cancelled as we were forced to observe a very subdued version of what's normally a smorgasbord of fete and debt. Painting your curtains, hanging up the tree, soaking your feet in the fruits – all traditions we've conjured to create the perfect Christmas spirit. Christmas in a pandemic is like going to the beach without booze or annoying loud music. What's the point?

It was hoped, even feverishly imagined, that this Christmas would have been different. Indeed, the covid19 event horizon is nearer than it's ever been.

For many citizens, though, we've gone too far with holiday prep to turn back now. Relatives from abroad are pouring in. Life insurance policies have been cashed in to purchase rations of pastelles. The grog is stocked and livers everywhere will be asked to perform above and beyond design specifications.

Restraint at this juncture might seem like too much to ask. But is survival too much to ask in light of covid19 infection rates that are higher than ever and only projected to continue their ascent? Vaccinations, accepted by less than half the population as the only means to bridle this contagion, will likely remain below the halfway mark for the foreseeable future.

Then there's the fatally flawed idea in the vaccinated camp that unmasked hobnobbing is relatively safe – it isn't. The safe zone "bubble" as practised in TT is about as safe as bubbles in a bong.

You have to think of those interactions like sexual trysts. Friends and family visiting your home may be vaccinated, but that status has far less meaning than it once did. You don't know who else those relatives are visiting, and, in turn, with whom those people are mingling and jingling. In this way, you unwittingly expand the range of your bubble.

It's impossible to forecast how your body will hold up against infection, even if vaccinated. The trouble with underlying health conditions is that many don't know they have them. Add the infinitely more infectious omicron variant to the murderous mix and the risk is considerably higher.

The only factor in the covid19 equation that's undisputed is this: you don't want to end up in the public healthcare grinder because it makes hell look like a wellness spa. So every sacrifice should be made to limit exposure.

Last week I drove past a shopping plaza where there was a long line of people. I wondered, why is there a vaccination site in a strip mall? Upon closer maccoing I saw people patiently queuing outside a linen store.

Now, if you entertain the quality of people who'd say, "But Eunice, dais not the same tableclort you put out three years ago?" you don't need that sort of energy in your life. If putting your house in order for Christmas means putting yourself at risk in retail jamming, it isn't worth it.

Where possible, keeping the number of visitors to your home to a minimum is ideal. If you must entertain company, it would be best to keep all windows open for as much ventilation as can be managed. Don't feel bad to turn down invitations. Parties and big limes are just an unacceptable gamble. You can just as easily stay home, drink too much and wake up the next day drowning in regret and Andrews for having done so. Now that's an authentic Christmas!

We have not seen the end of this threat. In fact, it's only just warming up. More vigilance than ever is needed, even if it means skipping the traditional Christmas one more time.

The greatest gift you can give your loved ones this season and beyond is the gift of health, both yours and theirs.