<em>The Atlantic Daily</em>: Four December Don’ts

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With two weeks left in the year, the pull of home is especially strong for many Americans. But long before the first snowflakes fell, we knew this winter would be a difficult one. And now, with coronavirus cases setting records, gatherings are riskier than ever.

At risk of adding to your rule fatigue (sorry!), we’ve compiled four December Don’ts to help keep you and your loved ones safe as you navigate these final weeks of the year.

1. Don’t underestimate this surge.

Yesterday, coronavirus deaths were 24 percent higher than at the height of the spring outbreak. My colleagues at the COVID Tracking Project break down another record-setting week.

2. Don’t gather—wait until March.

Hang on for three more months, Zeynep Tufekci proposes: “If your loved ones can stay healthy a few months longer, they might be much likelier to survive the disease—or to avoid contracting it entirely.”

3. Don’t self-isolate emotionally during end-of-year festivities.

Our happiness columnist, Arthur C. Brooks, warns that “doing so is one of the classic maladaptive coping strategies people employ when they are unhappy.” Instead, he encourages people to leverage technology to keep in touch with loved ones.