Fourth of July:
Health experts suggest staying close to home and far from others when celebrating the holiday — and wearing a mask.
The Fourth of July in the Bay Area usually means picnics, parades, barbecues and fireworks. But as several counties register a rapid rise in new coronavirus cases, public health experts are encouraging people to rethink how they celebrate the holiday weekend.
“This is not the year to be going out and about,” said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, a Palo Altobased infectiousdisease doctor and a biosecurity fellow with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “I understand that people are getting cabin fever, but the first recommendation I’m going to make is people stay as close to home as possible.”
Along with relaxed restrictions and general indifference toward government mandates, the experts warn that large social gatherings are the biggest driver of the surge in new cases. The Fourth of July is all about people coming together, whether it’s at the beach or a neighbor’s backyard.
“It’s pretty clear Memorial Day contributed to the cases we’re seeing now,” said John Balmes, a pulmonary physician and professor of medicine at UCSF. “July Fourth would be the same kind of thing. It’s an important holiday and people want to go outside to watch fireworks and be with their friends. But we know those kinds of activities are the super spreaders for this virus.”
So what can you do? The Chronicle asked the experts for some quick tips and advice to help you navigate the holiday.
The familiar safety measures remain at the top of the list. Wear a mask when outdoors. Clean your hands frequently. Don’t touch your face. Stay socially distanced. Avoid crowds. Don’t leave the house if you’re feeling sick.
Beyond that, the experts suggest sticking with wideopen spaces because the risk of transmission is lower outdoors than inside. If you’re eating and imbibing, don’t share food, plates or utensils. It should be BYOE (Bring your own everything).
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends visiting parks and recreational facilities that are close to your home.
“Traveling long distances to visit a park may contribute to the spread of COVID19,” the agency says.
Fortunately, people don’t have to go far in the Bay Area to find a peaceful pasture or scenic overlook.
“There are so many great places to travel within the state,” Kuppalli said. “Make sure you’re being safe about it. Do the types of activities where you can physically distance. Practice good hand hygiene. Wear a mask.”
Barbecuing, camping and picnicking all rank as relatively lowrisk activities if people practice preventive measures and limit the number of people involved. Parades are probably a bad idea.
“People can be in household clusters but they really should not be interacting with others closer than 6 feet,” Balmes said.
The CDC also advises being aware of the amount of time spent interacting with other people.
The virus that causes COVID19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks.
Because many coronavirus carriers are asymptomatic or presymptomatic, the more time people spend around others who may be infected, the higher the risk of becoming infected.
That applies to everything from play dates to park dates among friends. That sloshball tournament will have to wait until next summer.
According to the California Department of Public Health, the vast majority of coronavirus infections in the state are among people in the 1849 age bracket, with nearly 123,000 out of 216,550 total confirmed cases as of Sunday. An additional 17,000 cases are among those through age 17.
“Age does not mean you cannot get COVID19,” Kuppalli said. “The younger age group is the fastestgrowing demographic in California. I would encourage younger people to stay at home this weekend. The sooner we adhere to all these public health messages, the better it will be in the long run.”
Local health officials are helping soften the blow, as annual fireworks displays, carnivals and other events in the Bay Area are canceled this year, including the popular fireworks show off of Pier 39 in San Francisco. Bigger Bay Area cities like San Jose and Oakland also are discouraging inperson gatherings.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health closed county beaches for the weekend. Officials also advise people to stay away from the coast in the Bay Area.
“Beaches are a disaster,” Balmes said.
Those not paying attention to the news may not be aware of the risks.
“I would caution people to stay away from beaches,” Kuppalli said. “They’re going to be crowded, and it’s going to be difficult to physically distant.”
When weighing the risk of visiting any popular outdoor recreation area, the CDC advises people to check with officials in advance to learn what can be done to stay safe and to find out if the bathroom facilities are open and what services are available.
The safest options for being near water are an uncrowded spot near a lake or the ocean (good luck with that), or a private backyard pool where crowds are not going to congregate around the deck or stairs.
“The coronavirus doesn’t survive in chlorinated water,” said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Finally, consider putting those spontaneous road trips on hold. The experts say that any kind of travel most likely will contribute to the spread of the virus, especially if people visit popular summer destinations in states with surging case counts like Arizona, Nevada and Texas.
This Fourth of July, the greatest way to honor the country may be by masking up, loading up on hand sanitizer and waving a flag in the living room.
“It’s unfortunate,” Kuppalli said. “It’s something we’re all struggling with. But when we have other public health situations like hurricanes, tornadoes or fires, we can get people to adhere to the mandates. For some reason, we’re having a hard time with COVID19. It doesn’t feel very real to people because they can’t see it. Those of us who can see it know it’s real.”