Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life, but this year, many families are wondering whether it’s safe for them to celebrate the holiday with a few family members when COVID-19 is still spreading across the nation.

Many families are used to spending Easter together and their traditional holiday events are often hosted outside, such as Easter egg hunts, picnics, and celebratory games. But with social distancing, quarantining, and stay-at-home orders, this Sunday’s festivities at your house will likely be altered.

While churches have largely canceled their Easter Sunday celebrations or moved masses online due to the coronavirus pandemic, many are wondering if it is safe to gather with family members who have been quarantining in their own homes for the last two weeks.

One of the trickiest parts about COVID-19 is how little is known about the novel virus, including whether the virus can re-infect or reactivate already-recovered patients.

For this reason, it’s always to be better safe than sorry. So here are some tips to help you and your family have the best holiday possible without putting anyone’s health at risk.

Keep grandparents involved while keeping them safe. Grandparents and older family members face a higher risk of complications from coronavirus, but there are still ways to have them feel included while quarantined.

  • Drop a homemade Easter basket off on their doorstep with hand-drawn cards inside.
  • Use Snapchat for a “virtual” Easter brunch, and be sure that everyone is using the “bunny” filter.
  • Get together virtually for Easter dinner by using a platform such as Skype, Google Hangouts, or Zoom.

Other fun ideas if you’re quarantining with the whole family:

  • Let the kids decorate the house.
  • Tune in to a virtual Easter service online.
  • Invent a new Easter tradition that’s COVID-19 specific so that years from now you can look back on this holiday and never forget how the entire nation pulled together to protect America’s most at-risk population.

Just because you can’t let the kids around grandma and grandpa until COVID-19 has been extinguished, doesn’t mean you can’t have them with you this holiday. Your quarantined friends and family can virtually attend your Easter egg hunt, your Easter dinner, and every aspect of your Easter celebration!