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They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this Mother’s Day, staying apart also may be the best way to protect your mom’s health. A ����������� infectious diseases expert weighs in on how to celebrate mom while also protecting her health.

“There’s no pandemic holiday handbook so we need to continually take our cues from the sets of guidelines laid out by local, national and international experts,” said Dr. Stacey Rose, assistant professor of medicine in the section of infectious diseases at Baylor. “We continue to reinforce that patients who are elderly or who have underlying health problems are most likely to be at risk for severe disease if they are infected with COVID-19.”

Whenever you can substitute non face-to-face interaction with these high-risk individuals, that is the safest course of action, Rose said. She suggests virtual Mother’s Day brunch and mailed or emailed cards.

If you feel that your mother would benefit from an in-person connection for her mental and emotional well-being, Rose said that staying outdoors, like in the backyard, is the safest bet. This would still need to be a very small group and require everyone to follow social distancing and masking recommendations, including staying 6 feet apart.

“There still should be no direct person-to-person contact,” Rose said.

She suggested that grandparents could watch grandchildren riding their bikes or drawing with sidewalk chalk so that they still feel engaged without person-to-person contact.

“We’re still not out of the danger zone,” Rose said. “Everyone is making an intentional transition from crisis mode to recovery mode, and it’s natural to feel like we’re walking toward loosening restrictions, but we always have to maintain that balance. Engaging with family in a way that maximizes public safety and mom’s safety as well as the safety of other loved ones is the way to go.”

Rose said that it’s ok to send deliveries to mom this year, such as cards or flowers, but the deliveries should be left at the door. Wiping down any of the surfaces of the delivery with disinfectant is advisable since the virus can live on surfaces.

“As a mom myself, I think that we don’t need a lot of bells and whistles for Mother’s Day to be meaningful,” Rose said. “It’s not really about the Mother’s Day brunch – it’s about the message that you’re sending to your mom by virtue of setting it up.”