“I get by with a little help from my friends.

I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.”

– The Beatles

Here at CK Public Health, we have been working hard to answer your questions, share up-to-date information, develop helpful resources, and monitor and respond to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation locally. But, we wouldn’t be able to do this work without the ongoing dedication and support from our community.

We all have a role to play, whether we are:

• working remotely;
• taking care of young ones at home;
• checking in on neighbours;
• supporting a local non-profit;
• providing an essential service;
• washing our hands;
• sharing public health messages;
• practicing patience and empathy;
• keeping up to date with factual information; or
• staying home and following the advice of health experts.

We know it is not easy and want to thank everyone for what they are doing for our community.

While Chatham-Kent’s fight against COVID-19 has been strong, it could feel more difficult as the holiday weekend approaches. The hard truth is, the coronavirus doesn’t take a break because it is a holiday, and neither can we. We know it will be hard to stay apart from loved ones this weekend. Since celebrations will look a bit different this year, we want to share some ideas to help us all stay connected.

Fun and Safe Ideas for the Holiday Weekend: 

• Have a meal to celebrate with those who live in your home.
• Have a virtual meal with loved ones living outside your home using social media or the telephone.
• Work on some colourful crafts to display in windows, doors, and fences for neighbours to see.
• Hide eggs or hangout in your yard if the weather is nice.
• Plan a scavenger hunt indoors if you can’t be outside. You can use items you already have on-hand if you haven’t been to the store.
• Take a video or call up loved ones during the hunt to share the experience.
• For families who haven’t been able to get chocolate or treats, try these fun activities:
  • On scraps of paper write out some fun rewards or coupons for kids, such as “stay up 15 minutes past bedtime,” “movie night,” or “tea party date.” Hide the pieces of paper around the home for the kids to find. The kids can save the coupons and use them later.
  • Write out silly tasks on slips of paper such as “spin around 3 times,” “do 10 jumping jacks,” or “name 5 animals” and hide the tasks around the home. When a piece of paper is found the task must be completed before finding the next one. It can be a race to find and complete all of the tasks.
  • Try reversing the roles and have your kids write out nice messages, clues, or draw pictures and hide them around the home for you to find.

Notes with fun activities to hide around the home.

• If you usually attend spiritual services or gatherings, celebrate the way you normally would at home. Try finding a service, song, or prayer online.
• Create some home-made holiday cards using supplies you have at home. Mail them to loved ones or send a picture of the card through email or social media.
• Read a book together with loved ones over the telephone or video chat.
• Write a list of things you are thankful for and hang it on a wall or the fridge.
• Support a local non-profit organization if you are able.
• Take pictures of special moments and create a virtual photo album.
• Remember: you don’t have to be perfect and it is okay to not have it all figured out. The best way to care for our community and each other right now is to stay home.

While the holiday weekend may look different this year, our community remains united and strong by practicing physical distancing, washing our hands, and continuing to share public health messages.

Thank you for everything you do to care for our community.
Wishing everyone a safe and healthy holiday weekend from all of us here at CK Public Health.

As always, if you have any questions or need support visit https://ckphu.com/covid-19/ or call the COVID-19 intake line at 519-355-1071 x 1900.