Cooped up too long, yearning to bolt from the confines of home. And who can blame you?
COVID-19 is spiking , but we can spend time with the important people in our lives. Our mental health is too important to avoid them.
You can expand your social bubble beyond the household — if you heed now-familiar health guidelines and take extra precautions:
- Limit the number of people you see at one time, and
- Wear a mask if meeting indoors or outdoors.
- Disinfect chairs and tables, and
- Wash your hands, before and after the visit.
- If food and drink are on the agenda, it’s best for all involved to bring their own, since sharing can raise the risk of infection.
Arthur Reingold, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California-Berkeley’s School of Public Health, and his wife, an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have begun spending time with another couple around their age who have a large patio. “They have us go around the back; they don’t have us go through the house,” says Reingold, 71. “We sit on chairs that are a good 10 to 12 feet away from each other, and we talk. We bring our food, and they bring their food.” If you are medically vulnerable, or just want to be extra careful, consider wearing a face shield or goggles.
In the U.S. as a whole, the average infection rate is currently about 1% to 2%, which means one or two people in a group of 100 would typically be infected, says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. In any individual setting, however, these percentages don’t necessarily apply, she says. And a gathering in an area where the COVID-19 rate is surging — or already high — is more dangerous than one of the same size in a place where it’s not. So stay informed about the status of the pandemic in your area.
Be wary even of friends you’ve known and loved a long time. That may sound callous, but you need to know something about the behavior and recent whereabouts of anyone with whom you plan to visit. Don’t be shy about asking where and with whom they have been in recent weeks. If they are a close enough friend for you to want to see them, they should understand why you are asking.
A chart from the Texas Medical Association that generated controversy on Twitter in recent days listed numerous activities, ranked from lowest to highest risk. Among the riskiest behaviors: going to a bar, a movie theater or any other crowded venue — and eating at a buffet. You could ask questions based on that list, or a similar one, to determine if it’s safe to visit with someone.
Another question, never far from my mind, is whether it’s risky to let a plumber or electrician or handyman into the house. I’ve put off needed house repairs for several months because of my uncertainty about it.
I put the question to the public health experts I interviewed for this column, and they agreed: As long as you both wear masks and stay a healthy distance apart, the visit should not pose a significant threat. But ask the person what precautions he took on visits to other homes. If he works for a company, check its policies for employees who go from home to home.
For those of us who have craved more human contact, it may come as a welcome surprise that some public health experts think it can be safe to hug people if you follow certain guidelines:
- Do it outdoors;
- Wear a mask;
- Point your faces in opposite directions;
- Avoid contact between your face and the other person’s body;
- Keep it brief and wash your hands afterward.
Shannon Albers, a 35-year-old resident of Sacramento, says she started hugging people again after reading a story about how to do it safely in The New York Times.
This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.