Reduce Your Risk of Contracting Coronavirus With a Contact Budget
Now that states are reopening and many people have to account for their work, many of us are forced to look for new sources of risk and uncertainty. With this in mind, one epidemiologist, Ellie Murray, suggests how to think about your overall level of risk: Budget your contacts.
A contact budget is a way to think holistically about your overall risk that takes into account all of your day-to-day interactions. Just as we budget for our finances, we can think about our day-to-day interactions and our overall risk in a similar way.
After all, when you think of all the people you came in contact with and under what circumstances, what was the total sum of those interactions? Are there ways to reduce the total number of interactions?
One way to start, as Murray points out, is to estimate the number of contacts you had during the block. This is the basis on which you will evaluate your overall contact budget.
Many of us have no choice about whether we can continue to work from home. The level of day-to-day interactions we encounter at work will depend on our profession as well as the precautions imposed by our employers. If you have your own office with coworkers who conscientiously wash their hands, wear masks, and keep six feet apart, this risk profile will be very different from someone who works as a grocery or restaurant cashier.
If you’re wondering how your profession might be judged in terms of potential impact, the NY Times article estimates the overall risk associated with various jobs based on physical proximity to others as well as average exposure to disease. Dentists, paramedics, nurses and flight attendants all have a high level of risk associated with their profession, while loggers, economists and astronomers have one of the lower levels of risk. If you work in one of the high-risk occupations, it is recommended that you try to reduce any other possible sources of exposure.
Find ways to reduce your overall impact
When it comes to other areas of your life, it’s important to think about how you can reduce the potential impact so that it is meaningful and works for your personal situation. This means that you should stay at home when you can and reduce your exposure if you cannot.
When choosing a budget for contacts, it’s also important to think about the people in your life and the risks they can afford.
“Another thing to keep in mind is that when deciding on your own ‘contact budget’ it is also important to think about the people you need or want to communicate with and how at risk they are. can “allow,” says Murray. “If you want your elderly grandmother to be safe, then you have to have less budget for contacts to keep her safe.”
“People, Time, Space and Place”
When it comes to reducing your contact budget, there are some guidelines to consider: limit the number of people you communicate with, keep the amount of time to a minimum, and meet on the street whenever possible. This is where the concept of “People, Time, Space and Place” comes into play.
Bringing risk down to zero may not be possible, and the fact that states are reopening means there will be new and imminent risks for some, but it’s still worth considering how you can reduce your overall exposure. The contact budget will help with this.