Nurses' guide to 'Covid-safe' family gatherings and dinner parties

Given that nearly half the recent outbreaks of Covid-19 in Spain have been through mass meetings of friends and relatives, the focus has been on holding these as safely as possible – since banning them altogether would only be feasible through another lockdown, which the country wants to avoid entirely if it can.

“We know everyone's desire to hug each other and make up for lost time is enormous, but right now, we can't afford to undo all our hard work,” stresses chairman of the General Nursing Council, Florentino Pérez Raya.

Before the meeting

Numbers should be kept as low as is socially possible. If your friends have held a party and you've just found out it went on without you, try not to feel rejected; it's likely that next time they do, you'll be first in the queue.

If it's you who's organising a gathering, work out how many people can fit in your house or at your dining table without having to get closer than 1.5 metres (about five feet) to anyone they do not live with.

Ideally, use an outside space, but if you don't have one, make sure the room you use is well-ventilated.

Set a 'chucking out time' to limit how long you're in each others' company, tell everyone when the curfew is, and stick to it.

If anyone in your group knows they have been near someone who is infected, or are experiencing symptoms compatible with Covid-19, don't invite them. They'll understand why. And if it's you with the symptoms, call off your party or, if you're a guest, don't go.

Upon arrival

If you're the host, make sure you have hand-sanitiser available for everyone to use as they walk in, and tell them to wear masks unless everyone you're seeing lives in the same household.

If you're the guest, bring your own hand-sanitiser just in case – to avoid having to carry a bottle around with you, you could buy a Cleands wristband for €13.75, which dispenses up to 25 doses at the push of a button.

Avoid hugging, kissing or any other physical contact, hard though this may feel. Perhaps hold hands briefly, then clean them with sanitiser before and afterwards.

Catering

Only one person should set the table and hand out the food – duly masked and with hands washed – and avoid buffets. One dish or plate only per person is essential – the typically-Mediterranean custom of all eating off the same large plate of food in the middle of the table has to be shelved for now.

Don't share cutlery, for eating or even serving.

When you sit down to eat, you'll have to take your mask off, but put it in an envelope or a cloth bag and don't allow it to touch anything or anyone else.

Make sure everyone knows which glass, cup, plate, dish and cutlery is theirs – if necessary, put post-it notes on glasses to ensure nobody drinks from someone else's by mistake.

Only one person should clear the table afterwards; although it may seem odd, sitting there and letting someone else do all the work, the crucial issue is for as many people as possible to avoid touching as many items as possible.

For communal features such as the salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil or water jug, use a paper napkin when picking them up, and put this out of the way immediately – a bin-bag for everyone to dump their napkins in at the end, set up in the dining room, can then be sealed and deposited.

Put your mask back on as soon as you finish eating, and only lift it to take sips of your drink, when you're all seated round the table chatting.

Even if you all smoke, take it in turns to do so and stand at least two metres away from the table – ideally more – so nobody is near you when you don't have a mask on and the smoke does not reach anyone else, as it is believed to be possible for the virus to spread through droplets exhaled.

Using the bathroom

The General Nursing Council stresses that, now more than ever, it is vital to wash your hands after going to the lavatory. It's pretty revolting not to do that anyway, but if you're one of those who occasionally gets lazy and thinks little of spreading germs all over the door handle and everything else you touch, get out of the habit. All bodily fluids, even microscopic amounts you didn't realise were still on your skin, will pass the virus onto someone else if they are transferred elsewhere – and, even though you may think you haven't caught it, remember that an average of seven in 10 cases detected since lockdown are without symptoms and have only been uncovered through PCR-testing. Maybe you think it's nothing to worry about, then, if having the virus doesn't make people ill, but don't forget those other three in 10 who are, in fact, ill with it. This is especially true with the elderly, those with pre-existing health conditions or compromised immune systems, but in some cases, even very young, fit and healthy Covid patients have failed to recover or are now grappling with after-effects that may never go away.

Also, when using the bathroom, avoid touching surfaces with any part of your body if you can – but don't cover the loo seat with toilet paper before sitting on it, since virologists have confirmed this is actually counter-productive.

Toilet seats are smooth and sloping, designed so bacteria can mostly slide off them; tissue, however, traps and absorbs the bacteria and you're more likely to get it on your skin with it than without.

If you're the host, disinfect the toilet and sink before and after the party, and if it's practical to do so, between each and every user.

If it isn't, you could leave some sanitiser – make sure it's at least 70% alcohol – and paper towels, with a separate bin-bag for depositing them in, and ask your guests to disinfect the seat and sink before and after they use the bathroom.

Paper towels are also recommended instead of the usual hand towels, so different guests do not all touch the same one when drying their hands.

Make sure your hands are fully dry before leaving the bathroom, since wet hands actually attract more bacteria than unclean dry hands. If in doubt, use hand-sanitiser afterwards, since the alcohol breaks the outer layer of the virus, rendering it ineffective.

“We know all this is uncomfortable, but at present, scientific evidence has shown that using a mask, washing your hands and keeping a physical distance are key in preventing contagion,” Florentino Pérez Raya says.

It's uncomfortable, and inconvenient, but it's worth it – following the General Nursing Council's recommendations to the letter means you may not have to sacrifice a meet-up with friends and family if you have a milestone date coming up.

Of course, ideally, it's best not to go ahead with these altogether, but if you do, it's possible to enjoy yourself safely and without having to worry about passing the virus on if you stick to the experts' advice.