COVID-19 fatigue could mar the holidays, but staying vigilant could make for a better 2021 - Chicago Tribune

So you think, ‘OK, fine, you’re just going to give up 2020 and we’re just going to look forward to next year,’ ” said Landon, head of infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medicine.

“It just feels really bleak, looking ahead at a whole winter and thinking about the holidays," Landon said.

"If you could just count on everyone else to wear a mask, we wouldn’t be furiously paddling in circles, going nowhere,” she said.

“I’m less concerned about fatigue and more about just the scientific disinformation and messaging from the federal government and president,” he said.

The likelihood of becoming infected at an outside gathering is 20 times less likely than becoming infected indoors, Prickett said.

Although Prickett said gatherings should be avoided, when someone outside your immediate family is coming into your home, she recommends giving each other at least 8 feet of space, along with opening windows — even if it means dining in a parka.

“I’m hearing from patients they just got comfortable and relaxed or let their guard down one time,” Prickett said.

Even when keeping social circles small, people can still face exposure from others who were in contact with their family and close friends, Bleasdale said.

Experts worry that pandemic fatigue will lead to people ignoring recommendations not to travel or spend the holidays indoors with family if it can be avoided.

“The collective sentiment from everyone is just disappointment on some level because we know what’s coming,” said Prickett.

“This year, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Hizo said, as he played with a dog in a North Side park Thursday afternoon.

“Right now we’re taking this one step at a time,” he said

When it comes to the holidays, people have a tendency to want to look for information that reinforces what they want to hear, Landon said

They want someone to say it’s OK to celebrate and visit with family, even when what we know about how COVID-19 spreads suggests otherwise, she said

“The holidays are going to be a challenge,” she said

“Making these decisions about holidays, we’re just running a risk," Prickett said