Attend an open-air cookout
Take it from anyone living through the COVID-19 pandemic, especially public health experts: This is not a normal summer.
As coronavirus infections continue to spike in several states, including Florida, Sunshine State residents are being encouraged to wear masks, continue social distancing and exercise caution when leaving their homes.
But as parents, kids, roommates and significant others have now been cooped up for months, many have the burning desire to get out and do something. The good news is when exercising the right precautions, there are enough summer activities that are still possible to enjoy while taking steps to mitigate risk.
The relative safety or risk of an activity can be determined at least in part by asking the right questions.
“I like for people to think about, ‘What is their own personal risk of getting this infection or how bad this infection might be for them,’” said Dr. Becky Smith, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University Hospital. “How much time are you going to be spending? More time means a longer potential exposure risk. … Is there going to be adequate space for people to be physically distanced with six feet apart?”
Smith also said local disease prevalence should be considered in decision making. Florida’s coronavirus cases have recently spiked and broken records, including more than 4,000 new cases statewide reported on June 20.
Part of risk assessment should also involve figuring out ways to make a chosen activity safer, said Dr. Candice Jones, an Orlando pediatrician.
“It’s all about assessing … what precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus, not so much the activity itself,” she said. “Any activity can be made safer or riskier based on how people are doing it.”
Here’s how experts say these popular summer activities stack up in terms of risk and ways to make them safer.
When it comes to a summer cookout or backyard barbecue, or any kind of open-air gathering, the risk should be fairly low in an outdoor environment and while practicing social distancing.
“The general rule is that we should avoid being in groups of 10 or more unless we live with them. If we’re going to be outside, it’s generally safer than it is inside, especially if the breeze is blowing,” said Dr. Jay Wolfson, a professor of public health, medicine and pharmacy at the University of South Florida and senior associate dean of the Morsani College
Universal’s
Islands of of Medicine.
Seating should be spread out at such gatherings, and caution should be taken with high-touch objects such as utensils.
“How long is it going to be? … Are you going to require people to wear a mask? How are you going to handle the food? Is there one person serving, wearing a glove and sanitizing frequently? Or is it a free-for-all?” Jones said.
Visit the beach
Enjoying a socially distant beach day with family or close friends may prove to be one of the safer activities this summer.
Jones was personally considering a beach trip with her family
Go to a theme park or water park
A big question on the minds of many Central Floridians is, “How safe are the theme parks?”
Given the nature of theme parks and crowds, one might expect that the attractions would be somewhat less safe than other activities.
“Be careful — it’s a little bit riskier because more people are congregating, moving around and standing in line,” Wolfson said.
However, you’d be hardpressed to find a widely reported outbreak among theme park visitors since Universal and SeaWorld both opened their doors again in Orlando earlier this month. That may be due to the capacity limits and safety measures the parks have put into place.
“Are they limiting the numbers of people? Do they have tons of hand washing and sanitizing stations? … How are they trying their best to social distance people when getting on rides?” Jones said. “If you feel like they’re doing a good job with protecting you, then go for it. Then it is also your job as a parent to make sure that you supervise and keep your kids safe.”
Camp or enjoy the state parks
Similar to enjoying a socially distanced beach day, camping and visiting Florida’s state parks is a generally safe and effective way to get some fresh air this summer.
“I would say that is maybe a lower risk activity because you have more space and outdoor ventilation to keep yourself safe,” Jones said. “Those areas tend to not get as crowded or you have the ability to move away and get more space.”
Remember to keep social distancing in place and know that masks can be removed when maintaining a safe distance from other families or groups.
Browse a museum or gallery
While some summer activities are outside with abundant sunshine and ventilation, indoor spaces can present their own challenges with airflow and keeping visitors safe. How should patrons of venues such as the Orlando Museum of Art or the Orlando Science Center best prepare for their visit?
“If you’re in an indoor space like that, I would wear masks and you would hope that they would ask their patrons to wear masks,” Jones said. “Do they have good ventilation? Is it a close, stuffy, tight place where these aerosols could linger or is it big and well-ventilated?”
With the right precautions in place, visiting a museum, gallery or educational center could become a somewhat safe activity.
“If the gallery or museum has greatly reduced admission such that there are fewer people inside and if they’re doing visitor screening with symptom checks … I think it could be a reasonable risk activity,” Smith said.
Stay in a hotel or vacation rental
While some travelers may be wary of staying in hotels during the era of COVID-19, health experts say it could be a somewhat low-risk activity.
“As long as you’re cleaning your hands when you’re supposed to be and not spending time at the lobby bar … If you’re wearing a mask, checking in and staying in your room, to me that’s a low-risk activity,” Smith said.
Hotel owners are eager to get people back in their doors and maintain their reputation, Wolfson said.
“Ask, ‘How are you cleaning the rooms?’ … When you check-in, make sure that you ask, ‘When was the room last sanitized and cleaned? What is the routine and the schedule for sanitizing each room and the public areas?’” he said. in the Ocala National Forest.
The same questions for cleaning could apply to vacation rental homes and condos, Wolfson said.
Shop at a mall
As retail businesses have largely reopened and welcomed customers again, they’re also taking precautions to accommodate social distancing and safety practices in stores.
“Certainly wear your mask inside the mall. Mind the congestion, the airflow, people standing around in areas, watching things and looking at things,” Wolfson said. “It may be wise to wear gloves and to keep hand sanitizer with you.”
Open-air shopping destinations such as outlet malls or Winter Park’s shopping district may also be safer, giving visitors time to get out into well-ventilated areas.
Patronize a restaurant or bar
Eating at restaurants and drinking at bars are similar activities in that they involve patrons spending longer periods of time unmasked, sometimes indoors.
“You want to make sure that the restaurant is doing a great job to protect you,” Jones said. “If you’re comfortable with what they’re doing, then go for it. But you definitely want to sit outdoors.”
Bars are almost certainly riskier. Consider recent outbreaks linked to Knights Pub near UCF or a bar in Jacksonville.
“There are going to be a lot of people in a relatively closed area standing around and sitting for a long period of time. The calculus is, proximity and time make for high risk, along with airflow,” Wolfson said.
Jones urged extra caution at bars, as alcohol can cause people to become less careful.
“When it comes to alcohol, be careful because it inhibits you or impairs your judgment,” she said. “If your judgment is impaired, you’re less likely to wash your hands and be careful and wear your mask properly and not be touching your face.”
Exercise outdoors
Even during coronavirus shutdowns, exercising outdoors while maintaining social distancing proves to be an effective and safe way of staying fit and getting fresh air.
“There’s plenty of space to get outdoors and that’s really what I recommend,” Jones said. “Enjoy the outdoors around your home, if you can, and still enjoy your summer and don’t feel like you have to go do things that are risky.”
Attending outdoor group