With Mardi Gras coming up on the weekend, being allowed to have 50 visitors in a household and outside gathering in NSW means the show can go on for days — literally.
We know you’re going to celebrate in proper Mardi Gras style with rainbows, glitter, leopard print, and your very best friends, and so should you.
But before you turn your homes into a rainbow oasis, we thought we’d be the cool (but sometimes sensible) aunts that we are and give you a few tips on how to have a COVID-considerate party.
Preparation is key to ensuring a safe space for you and your friends to catch up in style, so take notes, leave plenty of time to prepare, and stay safe this weekend.
Label drinks
Limit the spread of germs by ensuring there’s no confusion around whose drink belongs to whom. Put out recyclable cups for your guest to pour drinks into, and provide them with coloured markers so they can write their names on the side of their cup. That way, there’ll be no crossover of unnecessary germs. You can even level it up by providing some fun stickers.
Provide masks
Ubers and rideshare services still require you to wear masks while sitting in the back. Most of us are pretty savvy with remembering our reusable masks, but slip-ups can occur, and should one of your friends forget theirs, you’d be wise to have a bulk pack of masks ready to go for when your guests go to leave. You can buy a 50 pack for $50 at Chemist Warehouse. Just remember to cut off the straps when you discard them in the bin!
Deep clean your bathroom
This should be a no-brainer when having guests over in general, but this time, spend an extra five or 10 minutes giving your bathroom a deep clean. Get rid of any products you don’t want to be used or touched, definitely dispose of any razors, used-towels or other items that you intimately use, and go full minimalist so as to reduce risk. Buy yourself some Dettol hand-wash, so that people can wash and sterilise their hands simultaneously.
Give out hand sanitiser
We know that your hands are dry and it sometimes smells like tequila, but you can’t ever be too safe with extra hand sanitiser. Buy some pump bottles and put them around your house, so people can help themselves throughout the event.
Have a fully recyclable party
Instead of using mugs, glasses, plates and cutlery that you own, go full biodegradable with this party, and buy some recyclable but disposable cups, plates and cutlery. Even though it’s your party, you know as well as we do that you don’t have control of who touches what. So, provide them with everything they need in disposable form and try to keep an eye out for your kitchen cupboards.
Party hard
Don’t forget to have fun. The COVID-19 pandemic has proved a stressful and isolated time and many of us have struggled with not being able to connect with friends and lovers. As much as we think it’s important to minimise risk and take caution where you can, don’t forget that it’s your party and you can cry — or shoot glitter out of glitter guns — if you want to.
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