“Should You Go To That Gathering?” Helpful Guidance From The CDC
In case you were wondering if it was safe to go to your Aunt Martha’s birthday party…
…here’s a few helpful thoughts from your pals at 95.9 The Rat based on what the Centers For Disease Control have to say about social distancing and gatherings of friends and family during the next phases of this virus….
Question: “Aunt Martha is having a birthday party. I miss my whole family and lots of them will be there to wish Aunt Martha a happy 60th. Should I go?”
The answer depends on a lot of factors… and we’ll break down some of them…
The first question to ask is: Do you or any of your family have any health issues that might make them more susceptible to a severe case of Covid 19? Things like heart disease, COPD, or even diabetes make survival harder… so if that’s the case you might want to avoid this.
If you don’t have that stuff because you’re relatively healthy… here’s the stuff to keep in mind…
- How many people will actually be at Aunt Martha’s party? If it’s a low number, it’s lower risk.
- Will the party be indoors or outdoors? If Aunt Martha has a nice backyard and it’s outdoors that’s a lot better than if it were indoors because there’s better ventilation outdoors… and more space to allow for social distancing.
- Will there be lots of people you haven’t been around lately? If so, that’s a bit more dangerous than if the party is mostly people you’ve been hanging out with lately. We know this stupid virus travels in communities, the less that we mix those communities – the better.
Hey… what about that 6 feet? Will I have to social distance myself from people?
- Yeah, you will… and you should wear a mask too. Why? Because if you’re carrying this thing you could share it with Aunt Martha without even knowing it and we’re pretty damn sure Aunt Martha wouldn’t want your Covid-19 for her 60th birthday.
Aunt Martha has a pool and the party is “bring your own bathing suit”… What about pools?
- Great question! If the pool is treated with chlorine it’s actually pretty safe because chlorine kills the Covid-19 virus… but you still want to avoid others in the pool and the heavier breathing while people play and swim is a bit of a cause for concern… as is the fact that masks are hard to wear when they’re soaking wet. For more good pool advice, click here.
As things open up more and more around here it’s still important to remember the 6 feet and the masks… But either way… do us a favor and wish Aunt Martha a happy birthday from all of us here at 95.9 The Rat…
