Hosting in a COVID world

washtenaw county covid-19 poster
As we emerge from our homes into a world with COVID-19, we are forced to consider how we can visit with family and friends in a safer way, how we can feel comfortable hosting guests again, and how we can ensure guests feel comfortable, too.

Everyone has their own risk tolerance and strategies for avoiding infection, so there is no easy answer for what your next party should look like. The Washtenaw County Health Department has put together a guide to help people identify which behaviors are safer and which are riskier, and it’s a great place to start when you’re trying to decide what activities you are ready to engage in.

With that in mind, here are a few ideas to help you throw a safer gathering and give guests assurance that you are taking steps to minimize their risk of viral exposure:

  • Individual serving portions. Eliminate buffets and reduce touching of shared surfaces like serving spoons by pre-portioning out food and drinks for guests. Put drinks or snacks in mason jars or set out salads in dessert cups.
  • Readily available hand sanitizer. Place hand sanitizer around your party, especially near the food and drinks. Encourage guests to sanitize before helping themselves to shared items.
  • Pre-wrapped silverware. Whether serving with disposable or reusable utensils, pre-wrap utensils in napkins so guests know their servingware has not come in contact with another guest’s germs.
  • Room to spread out. Make sure there are plenty of chairs or blankets outdoors for guests to spread out while they eat and chat.
  • Make clean up easy. Depending on the products used and your party’s needs, make garbage, recycling, and/or washing “bus” bins available for guests to clean up after themselves. If you are renting plates/cups/bowls/etc. from Hosted, we will provide you with bins for dirities so at the end of the party you can remove any trash, then put the lid on and we’ll take it from there.

As a host, a few thoughtful choices can make a healthier party doable. At Hosted, we value celebrating each other and challenging disposability, and we believe that together we can still do both!

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Hosted is committed to providing clean products that are ready to use for your party. We want to help take the stress out of hosting, especially now while everyone is aware of, and trying to prevent the spread of, infection. With that in mind, as we are a two-person show co-locating with our products, we will issue a full and immediate refund if one of us begins to feel ill within two weeks of your event and we will not be able to maintain our commitment to operate safely.