In general, the more closely you interact with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. If you do decide to engage in public activities, continue to protect yourself by practicing everyday preventive actions, like keeping these items on hand when venturing out: a mask, tissues, and a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if possible.
Understand the potential risks of going out
As communities and businesses are opening, you may be looking for ways to resume some daily activities as safely as possible. While there is no way to ensure zero risks of infection, it is important to understand potential risks and how to adopt different prevention measures to protect yourself and help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The risk of an activity depends on many factors, such as:
- Is COVID-19 spreading in your community?
- Will you have potential close contact with someone who is sick or not wearing a mask (and maybe asymptomatic)?
- Are you at increased risk of severe illness?
- Do you take everyday actions to protect yourself from COVID-19?
Maintaining close contact with other people increases your risk of being infected with COVID-19, so ask yourself these questions:
1) How many people will you interact with?
- Interacting with more people raises your risk.
- Being in a group with people who aren’t social distancing or wearing masks increases your risk.
- Engaging with new people (e.g., those who don’t live with you) also raises your risk.
- Some people have the virus and don’t have any symptoms, and it is not yet known how often people without symptoms can transmit the virus to others.
2) Can you keep 6 feet of space between you and others? Will you be outdoors or indoors?
- The closer you are to other people who may be infected, the greater your risk of getting sick.
- Keeping distance from other people is especially important for people at higher risk for severe illness, such as older adults and those with underlying medical conditions.
- Indoor spaces are riskier than outdoor spaces where it might be harder to keep people apart and less ventilation.
3) What’s the length of time that you will be interacting with people?
- Spending more time with people who may be infected increases your risk of becoming infected.
- Spending more time with people increases their risk of becoming infected if there is any chance that you may already be infected.
What makes activities safer?
Activities are safer if:
- You can maintain at least 6 feet of space between you and others: COVID-19 spreads easier between people who are within 6 feet of each other.
- They are held in outdoor spaces: indoor spaces with less ventilation where it might be harder to keep people apart are riskier.
- People are wearing masks: interacting without wearing masks also increases your risk.
Most importantly, you need to act responsibly and, besides not exposing yourself to the virus, you must not expose others to it. If you have COVID-19, have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, it is important to stay home and away from other people.
We all play an important part in keeping the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum. Be responsible, take care of yourself and others. #DontLetYoutGuardDown
