How People at Higher Risk From COVID-19 Can Enjoy Summer Safely?

It’s really hard to resist the temptation of enjoying those cool activities of summer with friends and family. But as this pandemic has affected and changed everything, so does the summer vacations for us. However, even when the virus seems and is reported to be under control, it isn’t completely safe to go out and enjoy the summers.

So when you are planning and thinking to sip some of those cool activities, you must remember the risk factor you are putting on yourself and the people around you. There are certain people at higher risk during COVID-19 [1], those with respiratory trouble, people with compromised immunity, heart diseases, old age people, and children.

It is more risk outside for these people, and it seems that coronavirus has damped their summer plans. But if taking a few precautions, it can be possible for them to enjoy the cool games and picnics outside. 

Being quarantined for months and months in line due to pandemic has brought out that frustration in most of us. The threat to contact infection is still there, especially for the high-risk people, but if we take some steps and follow some guidelines, they can even enjoy the summers out there.

[Read: Coping with COVID-19]

First of all, when you are planning for an outdoor picnic program, and you or someone in your group is at high risk, then do keep in mind a few points like :

• Place you are about to go and how much it will be crowdy 
• All the people will be wearing masks and maintaining at least a gap of 6 feet between you and them. 
• For how long you will be there. 

After analyzing all these points, only it is that you should finalize the spot to go. Now you must know about the activities and their risk during a pandemic.

[Read: Steps to Protect Yourself From COVID-19]

Certain activities are divided into three groups, i.e., low risk, medium risk, and high-risk activities as per the amount of risk of contracting an infection is in them. Let’s point out certain important tips to make it easy for you to select a place to go.

• Always select a less populated point as the densely populated areas have more risk of getting an infection from. In areas where there are fewer people, you can maintain a gap of 6 feet easily from others.
• Avoid going to areas where sharing items is required a lot like public pools, playgrounds, or beaches.
• Check if the public restrooms or washrooms are regularly cleaned and sanitized over there.
• Coming to sports, golf, and tennis are low-risk activities as there includes insignificant contact with others. However, avoid sports that involve close physical connections with other people like football, soccer, or basketball.
• If you are going an outdoor picnic with friends, then advise everyone to bring their food and other items, avoid sharing.
• Going on vacations or picnic at your farmhouse or vacation home with the people you are staying will be a great idea.
• After all this crazy quarantine time, it’s natural to have an urge to go for eating. But always select a restaurant that provides outdoor seating arrangements, wearing masks is compulsion over there, and minimum contact rule is followed. In contrast, indoor sitting is a high-risk activity when it comes to public places.
• A risk person should altogether avoid some activities like going to the dance club or bar. But don’t worry still you can enjoy the brewery with your friends and family in an outdoor setup, and a distanced dance party can be arranged in the backyard of your home.
• Avoid traveling in public transport unless very essential and do not go to malls as closed areas with too many people are always high-risk places.
• Drop the idea of camping as it means you are going to stay indoor with many other campers coming from different areas, which enhances the chances of infection. However, there is still a way out! You can plan a camping with your own family or the friends from whom you are regularly in contact, or wear masks during camping, don’t share the things, and spend the time outdoor maintaining a distance of 6 feet at least.
• Playgrounds are the main center of attraction for the children, so do for the virus! As in the playground, space is shared with many other people, and things are touched by multiple people, which increases the chance of infection. However, you can choose a playground with less or now equipment so no chance of touching and children should wear masks and play with their equipment

As the pandemic is still there so you must be careful about the health of yourself and your loved ones. Other than the mentioned points, the basic rules of protection should be followed anyways.

Wearing masks, washing hands repeatedly, not touching face, nose, or mouth, and maintaining a distance from other people are the “musts” of the day. The vulnerable ones- who are at higher risk than others, need to be more careful than others.

[Read: How to Wear a Face Mask: Dos and Don’ts]

We can also play a part in their protection by lowering air pollution and improving air quality as these factors are triggers that aggravate their underlying disease. 

Always remembers no matter how many precautions you take and the risks you analyze, the chances of infection are never zero for us. Hence, you must enjoy your time out in the lovely weather after being quarantined for so long but try to make these trips and exposure as less as possible because the virus is still there searching for its prey.

So being careful and cautious is the only key to protection. While standing together and caring for each other, we must tackle this pandemic and soon be out of it.

About The Author:

Dr. Vikram Chauhan – MD (Ayurveda) is the CEO and Founder of Planet Ayurveda and Krishna Herbal Company. He is an expert Ayurveda consultant from Chandigarh and practicing in Mohali, India.