Category: Q&A

Zoom dinners, outdoor meet-ups and more holiday tips

Nicole Chute, Health Promotion and Communication Specialist for the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services, shares some guidance on how to celebrate the holidays as safely as possible.

How risky is it to be traveling and/or gathering this holiday season? Should people even be considering it?
We’re strongly encouraging folks to just stay home this holiday season, if possible, and celebrate with the people who live in their own household. … With the substantial community spread in the state of New Hampshire and in Hillsborough County, we really don’t want anyone, especially anyone who is older or has underlying conditions, to do any in-person activities this year. … If you can video chat with family members and friends, that’s always safer than getting together with them and spending time [in contact] with them.

Got any fun ideas or tips for virtual gatherings?
Think about the things you would do together and how you would usually celebrate if you were together and try to do a virtual version of it. Cooking meals together over video chat is a great one. Also, I just heard that Zoom is going to be offering free calls without the 40-minute cap for the whole day on Thanksgiving, so that’s one way that people will be able to gather virtually.

If someone is hosting an in-person gathering, what can they do to make it as safe as possible for their guests?
Keep it small, and limit your time together. The more time you spend with people, the greater the risk is of contracting Covid from somebody who has it. Also, stay outdoors. I know it’s going to be cold, but if it’s a nice day on Thanksgiving, try to have people outside. … Make sure you have hand sanitizer available, encourage mask use for anyone coming in, and space out any chairs to allow people to practice social distancing while they’re at your home. … You want to be practicing general food safety and good handwashing while you’re preparing any food. We’re encouraging people to do more of a buffet-style meal with prepared plates that people can grab and go, versus everyone grabbing their food out of the same food dishes and touching the same serving utensils. … Something else I’d recommend to a host of any gathering is to talk to the people who are planning on coming over beforehand and remind them to practice social distancing, mask wearing and handwashing [during the days leading up to the gathering].

If you’re a guest, what additional steps can you take to protect yourself?
First, if you’re sick — and that means any new symptoms, whether it’s just a throat tickle or any little thing — you need to stay home. … Any time you’re spending time with people who don’t live in your house, it’s so important to keep that social distance, wear that face covering and wash your hands often, even if no one has symptoms, because we know that this virus can spread asymptomatically. … Try to stay outside, and keep your time there short.

What’s the safest way to travel?
It’s definitely safer to drive [than to fly] as long as you’re driving with members from your household, but if you’re driving long distances, you’re probably going to need to stop for gas or at a rest area, so just make sure you’re practicing healthy behaviors there, too, like using hand sanitizer after you’re done pumping gas, and washing your hands at the rest stops. If you’re in an airport, make sure you’re washing your hands, wearing your mask, keeping your distance from others and avoiding touching your face.

What’s the safest way to go about lodging?
There isn’t too big of a difference between staying at someone’s house versus staying at a hotel. … I’d recommend bringing some [disinfectant] wipes and wiping down the room when you get there. If you’re staying at a hotel, make sure you’re wearing a mask while checking in, and find out what all of their Covid protocols are.

Should people be quarantining post-gathering/traveling?
In New Hampshire, we tell any travelers, visitors and residents who leave New England that they must quarantine for 14 days upon their return to the state, even if they feel OK. They can end their quarantine early at seven days if, on the seventh day, they get a PCR Covid test that comes back negative.

What’s happening with students? Do you have any special guidance for them?
A lot of school districts are looking at remote learning for at least two weeks after the holidays, just to make sure that kids don’t come back to school and spread anything. I know there are going to be a lot of college kids traveling home, and if they’re traveling from out of state to come home to New Hampshire, they need to quarantine. Just plan on staying home with your family and the people who live in your house.

What about holiday shopping?
Online shopping is the best way to avoid any contact with anybody, so if you can do your shopping online I would definitely recommend that.

Featured photo: Nicole Chute. Courtesy photo.

High school filmmaker confronting stigma

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan named Brielle Paquette, a high school senior from Salem, October’s “Granite Stater of the Month,” a title that recognizes New Hampshire citizens who are working to make a difference in their communities. Paquette has been using her platform as Miss Londonderry and her filmmaking talents to confront the stigma surrounding mental illness. In 2019, at a competition held by New Hampshire Futures, an organization focused on promoting health and wellness in the state, she received the People’s Choice Award for a PSA video she made about mental illness. Paquette talked about the video and why she is passionate about the issue of mental health.

How long have you been making videos?

I grew up around a very artistic family. A lot of them are photographers and videographers themselves, so I grew up always having a camera in my face. Eventually, when I got older, I was like, ‘This looks fun,’ and me and my cousins started making little plays. Ever since then I’ve been like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ It wasn’t until I got older that I started using it for more serious topics. Instead of making music videos, I started making videos about mental health and stuff that I feel really passionate about. I’ve actually created three mental health videos.

What sparked your interest in mental health and mental illness?

I grew up with both of my parents who struggled with mental illness. My dad used to be an alcoholic, and my mom had extreme anxiety. Growing up around that was very difficult and very hard on my mental health, especially being such a young child. Me and my brother both developed really bad anxiety and went through times where we were very depressed, but luckily we were able to get the help we needed and go to therapy and everything and get through it.

Tell me about the PSA you made.

I made a sign that said “20 – 50 percent of adolescents struggle with mental illness. Hug to show support for people who are struggling.” I went to Boston with my mom, and I went to a subway station. I blindfolded myself and stood there and let random people hug me. All these normal people are going about their day — we don’t know what their names are or what they’ve been through — and they go up to me and hug me to show support and show that maybe they’re going through mental illness. … I guess the whole purpose of that video was to spark conversation. I wanted to get the message across that there are so many people out there who are going through this, and it shouldn’t be looked down upon. It should be something that we should be able to talk about, and I wanted to make people feel safe to talk about what they’re going through.

What kind of response did you get?

I got so much feedback — way more than I was expecting, which was the most amazing thing. Within five minutes of uploading the video, one of my friends who I went to school with called me hysterically crying, and her first words were ‘thank you.’ She just thanked me and said it was so hard for her to be able to watch that, but it made her feel so safe and comfortable, and it made her feel like she wasn’t alone. There were so many other people who reached out to me saying that it really touched them or really moved them, and that they’re showing [the video to] their parents and their friends, and that a lot of people could relate to it. … There were even people from across the country reaching out to me.

Why is breaking down the stigma around mental illness important?

I remember when I was a little girl, I would sit in my room, feeling all alone, feeling like, ‘I shouldn’t be feeling like this because this is bad, and I can’t let anyone know how I’m feeling because people will make fun of me or judge me or just won’t understand.’ That was just such a terrible feeling, and if I had known that [mental illness] wasn’t bad and that I wasn’t alone, then maybe I would have been able to reach out and get help sooner. I’m very lucky for the family and the support that I have, but I know that not everyone is that fortunate. I want to be able to advocate for those people who are afraid to speak up and let them know that it’s OK, that they can talk about it and that they aren’t alone.

Do you know what you want to do after graduation and beyond?

I’ll definitely be going to college … and I’ll definitely be majoring in film production and directing. I would love to go to school in Boston or New York and be able to start working with production companies there. My end goal is to be a director for movies. I would also love to produce and direct commercials … and music videos.

Featured photo: Brielle Paquette. Courtesy photo.