With COVID-19 and Omicron variant cases crawling their way up, celebrating your loved ones has appeared to become harder to do. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we’ve come up with some ways to celebrate while staying safe.
While some may say that distance strengthens relationships, according to guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it also keeps you safe.
Throughout the US, California occupies the seat for being the state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
Within the last week, Los Angeles County has seen an increase of 207,875 cases in COVID-19 according to the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker.
In total, LA County residents lie in a whopping 2.59 million cases; this makes up an estimated 31% of California’s 8.25 million cases.
If you live with your partner or loved ones, there are a variety of ways to celebrate this day of love; movie marathons, home-cooked dinners, board games, and more. If you do not live with your partner or loved ones, your options can feel limited.
Instead of going out and worrying about being exposed to the virus, consider setting up a ‘Zoom date’ or video call, cooking your own dinner, and chatting the night away in the comfort of your own bed.
Other virtual date ideas can include Door Dashing your favorite take-out, painting, having a film marathon via Netflix’s Teleparty extension, or even taking random quizzes like the Myerr’s Brigg’s Personality Test.
Younger folk have also discovered multiple ways to keep in touch with their friends, family and loved ones over quarantine in 2020 that could make great for a virtual celebration.
Much of this Millennial and Gen Z audience populates Discord, a multi-purpose communication platform on the rise that was originally created for video game streamers.
On Discord, individuals can decide to create private or group ‘rooms’ where they can invite a number of people to chat and/or play video games.
If a video chat date isn’t your ideal way to spend the night, Facebook users on a discussion post in the Downey Community Corner suggest a socially distanced outdoor picnic in your backyard or favorite park.
Facebook user Gina Flores wrote, “You can pretty much do whatever you want. Just stay [a minimum of] six feet apart, regularly sanitize your hands, and wear your mask.”
Spending this holiday alone? User Jessica Puppe comedically suggests creating a faux-getaway in your backyard.
“Camping under the three stars you can see from our smoggy skies or rest and enjoy yourself,” Puppe wrote, “We gotta live regardless. Have fun!”
Whether your love language is quality time or physical touch, the most important thing is to stay safe, enjoy yourself, and let your loved ones know that you care.
