Follow These Communication Rules
More than two months after the start of the pandemic, many of us are struggling to find a way to navigate our new normal safely and sustainably. Quarantine fatigue is real . Even normally cautious people cannot take proper action simply because of how long it takes.
Over time, it is important that we have ways of communicating with friends and family that will continue to keep everyone safe. This need is compounded by the fact that although many states are reopening, the dangers that initially provoked their closure are still present.
When it comes to hanging out safely with friends and family, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when planning your next meeting.
The same rules still apply
All the rules – keeping six feet of distance, washing your hands frequently, avoiding as many surfaces as possible, and wearing a mask whenever possible – still apply. There are many more cases of the virus, and we still don’t test as many as we should. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on the situation in your community. If you live in a hot spot or in an area that has recently seen an increase in the number of cases, you need to take extra care.
Better outdoors than indoors
Meeting outdoors – in a park or backyard – is generally safer than meeting indoors , as open air offers more room to maintain a six-foot distance, less chance of encountering contaminated surfaces, and better air circulation. Being in a confined space means breathing in the contaminated air of everyone else , which increases the risk of infection.
The longer you are together, the more chances of exposure.
In general, the longer you are in a potentially infected environment, the higher your chances of becoming infected. Recently, Erin Bromage, an immunologist at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, summarized this risk with the following equation: “Successful infection = exposure to virus x time.”
You will want to limit the duration of all your meetings, as the longer you are with someone who is not in your home, the more likely you are to receive an infectious dose of the virus, whether it be touching an infected surface. or it becomes careless to maintain a distance of six feet.
Be careful with what you touch
Every time you touch a surface that others might have touched – a doorknob, a countertop, a light switch – you name it – it increases the risk of infection. For this reason, it is important to think through each meeting to reduce the likelihood that you or those you meet will have to come into contact with the same surfaces. And for the surfaces you come in contact with, it’s important to have hand sanitizer on hand.
We all miss our friends and family. Prolonged isolation is simply impractical and certainly not conducive to our emotional well-being. However, we are still living in a pandemic. There are still dozens of new cases – and thousands of deaths – still being recorded every day, which means we still need to be careful when it comes to connecting with the people we miss. Think carefully about how you can meet safely and then enjoy the sight of their faces again.