MARCH 18 • 2021 | 15
everyone will have received their
second dose of the vaccine at
least two weeks before the start of
Passover.
RISK FACTORS
For those who plan to gather in
person, Dr. Carl Lauter, an infec-
tious disease and allergy immu-
nology physician at Beaumont
Health and professor at Oakland
University William Beaumont
School of Medicine, offers some
advice on how to approach
Passover this year.
“The biggest mistake people
can make is to think that the vac-
cine is a ‘get out of jail free’ card.
It’s far from that,
” he said.
For those considering an
in-person seder, Lauter suggests
thinking about who will be seated
around the table. Based on his
recommendation, there should
actually be multiple tables to
ensure adequate social distancing.
Some of the factors to consider
when planning for the holiday
include looking at who will be
there. Will there be kids? What
about older adults or others who
are regarded as high risk?
“My advice is to forget the vac-
cine. Social distance because we
don’t have herd immunity yet. You
can get together, but it’s the old
caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.
The vaccine is no guarantee.
“Until we get herd immunity,
we still have to social distance,
and we still have to wear a
mask. So how do you eat when
you’re wearing a mask? It only
works if you’re in a facility that
has pretty decent ventilation,
or you can open the doors and
windows and let fresh air circu-
late,” said Lauter. “I wish it was
easier. But right now, it’s not.
We’re stuck.”
“THERE WILL PROBABLY BE
EIGHT OF US TOGETHER,
BUT WE WILL STILL ZOOM
WITH EVERYONE ELSE.”
— ELAYNE MOSS
MELISSA ZEIDMAN
The Levin family’s seder table last year
BELOW: Last year’s Moss Zoom seder.