Many of us are looking forward to ushering in the Lunar New Year with our loved ones as it approaches.
This usually entails catching up with family members from various households, sharing festive treats, and having a good time.
While we follow the new CNY visiting requirements, we must think of innovative methods to keep the festive spirit alive while remaining secure.
Preparing for Chinese New Year
Place Sanitiser at the Door
Because our hands are one of the most common routes for germ transmission, ask your visitors to wash their hands before entering your home.
This will help safeguard your family and visitors from carrying germs into the house. Before beginning the festivities, you might want to ask your guests to wash their hands. Everyone is likely to be understanding because they are all living in this new 'COVID-19 normal,' especially if you have vulnerable people at home.
Pack Your CNY goodies and treats individually
Treats for the Lunar New Year are usually served in big communal bowls or containers for sharing.
Play it safe this year by packaging sweet treats separately and serving savory tarts and snacks in small portions on plates.
This would assist to reduce germ transmission through food.
E-Angbaos leading the way!!!
Angbaos, or red packages, are traditional emblems that send our best wishes and good luck to the receiver.
It can, however, be a source of microbial transmission because it is an object that is handed from one person to another.
Before packaging or giving them out, make sure you wash your hands properly.
Consider going digital with e-angbaos this year!
Because there is less touch, germs are less likely to spread.
PayLah, PayNow, and GooglePay are just a few examples of apps that make this simple.
Simply download your favourite app, make sure you have sufficient balance, and establish an e-angbao, and you're ready to bless!
However if you still prefer the traditional way, we suggest placing the red packets on a table and wiping them down with wet wipes and allow your young guest to retrieve the red packet themselve.
Have a blast!
Keep your home well -ventilated
Because diseases are more likely to spread in spaces with stagnant air than in spaces with good air flow, doing so can help to reduce the risk of infection.
Increase air flow by opening windows and doors.
Consider installing more fans throughout the house to keep your visitors comfortable.
Leave shoes outside
Shoes can act as a vector for the spread of pathogens. If you're worried about shoe theft, keeping the main entrance open is an excellent idea.
Serving Utensils
In Chinese culture, eating directly from a communal dish is common.
However, at least for the time being, it's best to avoid sharing food because germs can be transmitted through saliva.
To reduce the risk of contamination, serve individual servings of foods from the communal plate with serving utensils.
Ladles for soup, chopsticks for lohei, and a fork or spoon for dishes are all included.
Lohei, The Safe Way?
As you may be aware, there is a new rule in town about yusheng tossing: no screaming. While this is primarily intended to be enforced at public dining establishments, it is also a good idea to practice at home.
You may use your lohei in a variety of ways. Netizens in Singapore, for example, have proposed pre-recording auspicious remarks and playing them before the yusheng is tossed!
Clear trash regularly
When our relatives come to visit, we're likely to shower them with gifts, which results in the accumulation of trash such as from wrappers, straws, melon seed husks, and old tissue paper.
Because a lot of them will be laced with saliva, which is a carrier of germs, it's better to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Fill the tummies of your family with delicious food, but don't let the trash pile up!
Clean your home and DISINFECT!
Water isn't enough to clean off the dust and germs around your home.
They may look clean and shiny on the surface but it's the one we cannot see that we should be worried about.
We must disinfect our houses, which entails eradicating all germs from all surfaces. Disinfectants, such as sprays and wipes, can be used to do this.
While cleaning your entire house after each guest leaves may not be possible, you can disinfect high-touch contact points in the room. These include surfaces like your doorbell, doorknobs, table tops, the main sitting area, and the restroom that are more likely to be touched.
You may clean your house more thoroughly at the end of the day to prepare for the next day!
Wash your mandarin oranges
Due to the traditional practice of sharing mandarin oranges as a symbol of good fortune, you're sure to have a lot of fresh ones by the end of the day.
Remember to wash them at the end of the day so you may enjoy those juicy treats whenever you want, as securely as possible!
However, we recognize that some of these suggestions may require us to change our habits, such as sharing meals, not "sweeping luck out of the house," and so on.
But, with COVID-19 on the horizon, let's err on the side of caution — while still maintaining the celebratory spirit, of course. Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
