How Safe Is It to Communicate in Nature?
As the pandemic looms and summer approaches, you may wonder if there are safe ways to go outside and see others in person without the risk of transmitting the infection. How safe is it for two friends to meet at the park, even while observing physical distancing?
As long as people are 6 to 10 feet apart, would that be a safe way to get together? How does this compare to indoor physical distance?
As with so many other aspects of pandemic life, there are so many unanswered questions. We still have no idea how dangerous outdoor physical distance encounters can be. However, as long as all physical distancing and safe hygiene rules are followed, outdoor gatherings can be a safe option.
“Meeting on the street can make some sense,” says S. Wesley Long , medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist Hospital.
Sunlight is not a disinfectant
As with everything related to the pandemic, there are a number of caveats here, the first of which is that, contrary to popular belief, outdoor gatherings are currently not considered a safer option due to the presence of sunlight.
While there has been a lot of talk about UV light killing a virus , we don’t know for sure – and there is a big difference between outdoor sunlight and an UV lamp in a laboratory, both in terms of intensity and wavelength.
Thinking that sunlight acts as a disinfectant is a dangerous assumption. But there are other reasons why outdoor gatherings can make sense.
Outdoor meeting reduces the risk of collision with contaminated surfaces
Outdoor encounters mean fewer high-contact surfaces you will encounter, even if it gives you extra space to practice safe physical distance.
As Long notes, “people’s homes are contaminated with all the microbes and microbiota of family members.” This means that every high-touch surface – remote controls, doorknobs, dishes, countertops, anything you touch – is at risk of contamination and must be cleaned and disinfected immediately before anyone enters your home. … (And let’s be honest: decontaminating everything in the home is a lot of work and can be undone if one person opens the door or touches the counter.)
On top of that, “you [are still] infecting this environment with your own microbes and microbiota,” Long says.
A meeting in a park or backyard means you don’t have to touch doorknobs or other surfaces in the house, and again, there will be more room to maintain a 6-10 feet distance.
If you decide to hold your meeting outdoors, what considerations need to be taken into account in order to be as safe as possible?
All normal rules apply
All guidelines are to avoid touching high-contact surfaces, disinfect your hands frequently, and keep your hands 6 to 10 feet away from others. In addition, if anyone is showing any symptoms or a family member is sick, they should stay at home.
Consider your location
When it comes to outdoor gatherings, it’s important to consider your location. If you live in a city that is experiencing an increase in cases, you may need to reconsider your decision.
“Everyone should pay attention to their local situation,” says Long. It’s all too easy to focus on information at the national or state level that can sometimes hide what’s going on in your own community.
You should also make sure that your outdoor meeting is in a location that allows you to maintain a proper distance. This means no crowded parks or cramped courtyards. Six feet means six feet.
“BYO everything”
You will want to bring your own food and drinks, as well as your own picnic blanket or sun loungers. Also, take some hand sanitizer and hand sanitizer with you just in case.
“BYO is everything,” says Long. “You don’t want people to share food, drinks or utensils.”
Establish ground rules in advance
Before scheduling any meeting, establish ground rules for what you will do if someone you are meeting with refuses to stay six feet away or wants to hug or shake hands.
“Everyone should be familiar with [the rules] beforehand,” Long says.
If everyone has disagreed with all the necessary safety precautions, then you shouldn’t meet, and you need to find out before even scheduling a meeting. With no exceptions.
Keep meetings short and small
The longer your meeting lasts, the more likely people are to forget about keeping a 6 to 10 foot distance or touch something that could be contaminated. There is also a very real consideration that if you are there long enough you will need to use the bathroom, and using public toilets right now is a big ban.
You will also want to limit the size of your meeting, as inviting too many people increases the risk of someone forgetting the rules or running out of room for safe physical distancing.
Something else?
“We should all wear masks,” Long says.
If you decide to hold an outdoor meeting, think about your plan and be sure to take all the recommended precautions into account. If all is well, pack a picnic basket, some garden chairs, and enjoy your physical distance.