Kickstart: Enforcing safer holiday plans

On Nov. 19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines about Thanksgiving gatherings that echo what a lot of state officials already were saying: stay home.

"As cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with," the CDC website warned.

If that's not enough to convince you not to travel, consider if you worked for film maker Profol Americas in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"We use the Harvard website, and if somebody travels to a place that is red [for a high transmission rate], we force-quarantine them for two weeks," Profol Americas President and CEO Mark Thoeny told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. "Whether that's work related or vacation related."

Profol Americas is a cast polyolefin film and sheet products maker and part of Germany's Profol GmbH.

Thoeny said the company worries it will not be able to staff regular production lines if COVID-19 spreads further.

Profol isn't alone.

Tom Pientok, president and CEO of electronics and wire harness maker Timberline Manufacturing in Marion, Iowa, is meeting with all employees today to stress the importance of staying home and safe.

"What they do outside of here impacts the health and well-being of their fellow employee-owners as well as the sustainability and longevity of our business," Pientok told The Gazette.
 

For those small gatherings that are taking place at home, foodservice supplier Novolex is noting that its single-use items fit well into CDC guidelines.

The CDC site suggests that during meals, groups should designate one person — wearing a mask — to serve all food so that multiple people are not handling the same serving utensils. Or "use single-use options."

Novolex noted that its utensils, plates, cups and other items fit those suggestions, and also reduce stress after you eat.

"Our products are perfect for those seeking an elegant, sophisticated look while making dining safer," said Jennifer Heller, vice president of marketing for Waddington North America, a division of Novolex. "They also allow families to spend more time making memories during the holidays and less time cleaning up."

While you're at home, maybe you want to get a start on shopping for some of the toys deemed to be hot items this Christmas.

There's Lego, whose latest take on The Child, aka Baby Yoda, from The Mandalorian is already on backorder, and the familiar favorite Barbie. But this is 2020, so this year, there's a "Breathe With Me Barbie" that will guide the user through a meditation exercise.

But how about something that will make you feel Big?

FAO Schwarz has a new version of the piano floor mat similar to a version seen in the Tom Hanks movie in 1988, sold through major national retailers. The flexible plastic mat even has an optional "record" button, just in case you write a floor piano masterpiece during your holiday staycation.