California suggests outdoor holiday gatherings with people from 3 households or less

As the holiday season looms near, getting together with family may look a little different as California health officials released new guidelines for holding private gatherings on Friday.

The state suggests that Californians limit themselves to outdoor gatherings in their yards or in parks so long as the people who attend are from no more than three separate households.

The new guidelines also suggest that you limit your gatherings to less than two hours to limit mixing.

During the event, face masks should be worn, and social distancing should be practiced, according to the state's guidelines. The state also said that anyone singing, chanting, shouting should wear face-covering and maintain physical distancing to avoid spreading.

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"(The guidance) is really not to say that it's a good idea or appropriate to gather, but to say (with) more than three households, you really are increasing your risk," California's Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said in a news briefing on Monday.

The new guidelines suggest that those who are considered high-risk for COVID-19, like seniors or those with pre-existing conditions, should not attend gatherings.

The state said that all other gatherings are prohibited but did not indicate how these guidelines would be enforced.

Ghaly said that the guidelines released Friday "were a way to tee up future guidance around how to minimize our risk" during the upcoming holidays.

To read more about the guidelines, click here.

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