That means indoor playdates still present a COVID-19 risk. children as young as 6 months, according to The New York Times, but for now, children under 12 can’t get one. Kids and Summer Safety Playdates for the Youngest Kids Require CautionĬOVID-19 vaccines may be available this fall for U.S. Unvaccinated people should socially distance and wear a face covering when away from their pod, Maragakis says. Each pod is separated from others by at least 6 feet. For instance, Citi Field in New York City offers socially distanced sections, with tickets to baseball games sold in pods ranging from one to six seats. Many venues have arranged “pod seating” to help minimize COVID-19 risk. The CDC considers attending a crowded outdoor gathering such as a sporting event or live performance a “least safe” activity for people who aren’t vaccinated. Outdoor Sporting Events and Concerts Could Be Risky for the Unvaccinated “They should follow the guidelines to avoid the spread of COVID-19, which would include social distancing and wearing a face covering,” he says. “Studies of sporting events show that contestants on the different teams don’t spend a great deal of time in very close proximity to each other over the course of a basketball game, for instance,” she says.īut Paul Pottinger, MD, a professor in the division of allergy and infectious diseases at the University of Washington’s department of medicine in Seattle, points out that team gatherings off the field - for water breaks or huddles, for instance - could allow unvaccinated people to spread the virus. Outdoor sports like soccer present a relatively low risk of COVID-19 transmission, says Maragakis. Outdoor Contact Sports Are Relatively Safe “It’s much, much safer to be outdoors without a mask than to be indoors without a mask due to the large volume of air and the way that air moves, and because of the kinds of activities that we do outdoors,” she says. The risk of COVID-19 transmission outdoors is orders of magnitude lower than it is indoors, says Maragakis. Outdoor Sports and Exercise Masks Aren’t Necessary While Running or Bikingīoth vaccinated and unvaccinated people can walk, run, wheelchair roll, or bike outdoors without a mask, according to CDC guidelines. “The bottom line is that if you are unvaccinated, you are susceptible to the virus,” she emphasizes. Many states around the country have responded to this rather sudden change by expanding the capacity of parks, trails, and restaurants and no longer requiring masks or social distancing in public spaces or at events. On top of that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new COVID-19 guidelines in May, saying that people who are fully vaccinated can resume most activities without wearing a mask or social distancing, both indoors and out. “It’s really going to change what people are able to do this summer and heading into next fall,” she adds. “Truly, it is a miracle of science that we have not just one but multiple types of vaccines that are so highly effective in preventing serious disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19,” says Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior director of infection prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health System, both in Baltimore. A summer of fun in the sun is looking a lot more possible this year compared with last year, thanks to COVID-19 vaccines that have changed the course of the pandemic in the United States.
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