With Thanksgiving a few days away, Aurora and Arapahoe County officials are urging people to take safety precautions when it comes to foodborne illness and traveling from home.

Before “gobbling” Thanksgiving dinner, Arapahoe County Public Health recommended several food safety tips to avoid foodborne illness.

From the grocery store to the table to the leftovers, there are ways to prevent foodborne illness at every step of the food process, they said in a statement on their website.

Their tips include the following:

1. Check inspection reports, which Arapahoe County Public Health creates,  at retail food establishments to make sure the store maintains food safety.
2. Keep meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and fresh produce separate in the fridge and make sure nothing drips or leaks.
3. Have a food thermometer and make sure to cook food thoroughly. For turkey, the recommended internal temperature to ensure the food is fully cooked is 165 degrees. 
4. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold while cooking, making sure the refrigerator is at or below 40 degrees and the freezer is at or below zero degrees. The range between 40 degrees and 140 degrees is the “sweet spot” for bacteria to grow.
5. Avoid eating raw dough unless it specifically mentions that it is edible. 
6. Get pasteurized eggs, especially in things like eggnog that use raw eggs, to minimize the risk of salmonella.
7. Thaw a turkey in the refrigerator, a sink of cold water with the water changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave rather than on the counter. 
8. Wash hands before, during and after preparing food and after any potential contamination. 
9. Put leftovers in the fridge or freezer within two hours and wrap them in airtight containers. Leftovers in a fridge can be eaten for three to four days and in the freezer for three to four months. 
10. Read up on safely cooking a turkey. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a page of tips for prepping, handling and cooking a turkey.

More food safety tips can be found on the respective websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FoodSafety.gov and the Food and Drug Administration.

For Aurorans traveling this holiday season, the Aurora Police Department listed several tips on X, formerly Twitter, for home safety.

Their tips include the following.

1. Give travel details to a trusted neighbor or friend.
2. Set lights on timers, but not on a routine schedule.
3. Break down newly delivered packages, especially packages with brand names on them, and avoid leaving them out in the open where they can easily be seen. 
4. Ensure windows and doors are all locked.

Many Aurora city services, such as municipal courts and offices, libraries, and recreation centers will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Some will also be closed Friday.

A full list of closures and hours is available on City of Aurora’s website.