Backyard parties still require masks, distancing
QUESTION: There are some pop-up cocktail patio parties and dinner parties going on now. Many of them are in the backyards of the hosts. Most people are staying apart as they talk. Should they all be wearing masks?
CALLIE'S ANSWER: Yes. From my understanding, everyone wearing a mask will protect each other. It's simple, not hard. Please just do it.
LILLIE-BETH'S ANSWER: This is tough for all of us seeking human, real-life connection in the midst of all of this pandemic. It's lonely out there in COVID-19 times. If we were all wearing masks, socially distancing, staying home and/or avoiding crowds (along with constant testing and contact tracing), scientific consensus indicates we would likely be much further along as a country in fighting this virus and on the way back to “normal,” whatever that looks like. But we have fallen short of that ideal.
In saying all of that, the short answer is, yes at a backyard pop-up cocktail party, ideally, you'd be wearing masks and keeping a distance as you talk. The longer answer is this is hard. It's hard to do things perfectly all the time. We get around friends who appear healthy and forget all the precautions we have been taking the last several months because we need that face-to-face connection. I know people who let their guards down and gathered in a small group and much of the group caught the novel coronavirus. I know people who did it, too, and did not get sick because no one else had the virus.
Outside gatherings appear to be better than inside gatherings where the virus will concentrate, and air circulation is limited. Keeping your distance is a good start and better than nothing unless you're staying home all together (and it's hard to have cocktails with a mask one). Smaller gatherings are definitely better than larger ones. If you're the host, wear a mask as you're moving about so others feel comfortable wearing them, too. Wear a mask as you talk. We have to learn to live with this virus for awhile — it's not going away easily, but for now, we can also take care of each other by wearing masks to slow the spread according to current recommendations. Even though most of us don't like wearing masks, it's one thing that we have control of personally to help do our part to slow community spread while we let scientists and our leaders learn more about the virus and race toward a vaccine and better therapies.
HELEN'S ANSWER: It is a fact that masks help contain the virus and several places in our state have mandated the wearing masks in public places, so it is time to mask up. Hopefully, orders will also come out soon that we don't have to wear them anymore, but for now, we all need to comply. Masks are readily available, so people should have no excuse for not having one covering their faces.
If guests wear masks to private events, they may need to take them off to eat and drink, so that is where standing or sitting apart and socially distancing is necessary. GUEST'S ANSWER: Patti Leeman, community volunteer: Pop Up Patio parties – Year 2020 – the rage of the social set.
Disclaimer: I have not attended any but have heard about most.
Who: Members of your pod.
What: Back or front driveway, just so it is outside.
When: Early morning iced coffees; happy hour
Why: The urgent need to see and talk to people
What to wear: Mask or face shield worn until the host has been elbowed. Then survey the guests, and do as they do.
Where to stand: Close enough to be able to hear, but far enough to avoid catching COVID-19.
Common sense answers include: “Yes, people should stand apart as they talk. Yes, they should all be wearing masks if they care about protecting others.” In the real world, however, the patio party hosts determine the rules.
A very excellent quick guide for such pertinent questions was a recent column in The Oklahoman by Stephen Prescott, president of Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and Adam Cohen, OMRF's general counsel, called “So, 6 health experts walk into a restaurant. Or, actually, they don't.”