Meeting friends indoors – medium to high risk
It’s normal to miss your friends and want to see them again, especially after so many months of zero social interaction. If you want to stay on the safe side, avoid indoor places where people speak and touch various surfaces and the transmission risk is higher. “We’ve seen multiple studies where people in indoor environments, in workplaces as well as in dining settings, end up being infected because of air circulation and lack of adequate ventilation,” said Amanda Castel, a professor of epidemiology at George Washington University.
“The thing that I see a lot of is when we are around our friends, people tend to relax. Then they have a few drinks and they relax even more so the masks come off and everyone gets closer together, then before you know it everyone is having face-to-face conversations without a mask on,” added Kesh.
How to lower the risk:
Although it’s not completely safe, it’s better to meet your friends outdoors rather than indoors and limit your social circle as much as possible to people that comply with safety rules just like you. “Even if you’re going to meet up with friends, you still need to socially distance and use masks until we’re basically told otherwise by Anthony Fauci or another person who has the scientific authority and gravitas to make those types of decisions,” said Danielle Ompad, an associate professor of epidemiology at the NYU School of Global Public Health. Speaking of Dr. Fauci, here are his Tips on How To Avoid Coronavirus!
