Fourth of July festivities during a pandemic: How experts say you can celebrate safely
Celebrating the Fourth of July will undoubtedly look a lot different this year.
As the holiday weekend approaches, many are eager to get out and celebrate after being cooped up for months due to the coronavirus. But the pandemic is still in full swing — with many states seeing surges in cases and restrictions still in place — and officials have warned that ignoring precautions could lead to another Memorial Day weekend situation.
Health experts have said recent jumps in COVID-19 cases can be linked to large crowds that gathered at beaches, pools and other spots for Memorial Day.
So, for those who want to celebrate the Fourth of July, here’s how experts say it can be done safely.
What’s the safest option?
The best way to be safe during Fourth of July weekend is to stay home and celebrate with the people in your household, experts say.
Dr. Joshua Barocas, infectious disease physician and assistant professor at the Boston University School of Medicine, says it’s important to remember “the virus isn’t gone,” according to CNBC.
“The most surefire way to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 is to continue to shelter in place and stay at home, even if local and state jurisdictions don’t have these orders in place,” Barocas said, according to CNBC. “If the prospect of being around people or crowds makes you nervous, don’t do it.”
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still lists “virtual gatherings” as the safest option.
Many Fourth of July festivities have been canceled across the country, but there may still be ways for your household to participate in events with no contact with others.
Some cities are offering drive-up firework shows and others may be live-streamed for people to watch from home. For example, Macy’s annual fireworks in New York can be watched on NBC and the D.C. fireworks can be watched on PBS, USA Today reports.
Gatherings with friends and family
For those who want to celebrate Independence Day with people outside of their household, there are ways to make gatherings safer.
Small outdoor or indoor gatherings with social distancing and the use of face masks offer the next lowest risk after virtual gatherings, the CDC says. Large gatherings without social distancing are the riskiest.
Some states have limits on how many people can legally gather at once, so it’s important to check on the rules in place before hosting or attending a gathering.
If you are going to be around a group over the holiday weekend, remembering the basic precautions is key — wear a face mask, keep at least 6 feet apart and wash your hands often.
“These [rules] all still apply,” Barocas said, according to CNBC. “They protect you and they can protect people around you.”
Staying outside is also safest, CNBC reports. If that’s not possible, open windows and doors.
Another way to make gatherings safer: “BYO everything,” NPR reports.
Guests should bring their own food and drinks to gatherings, and buffets or “anything shared” should be avoided, Nancy Nielsen, former American Medical Association president and a dean at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, told Vox.
They should also bring their own plates, cups and utensils, USA Today reports.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through food, according to the CDC, but it may be possible to be infected by touching something with the virus on it then touching your face.
Commonly touched surfaces and hands should be cleaned regularly during and after the gathering, and the CDC recommends using touchless garbage cans and wearing disposable gloves when cleaning up afterward, USA TODAY reports. The names of all guests should also be recorded for contact-tracing purposes.
Barocas also says not to share sunscreen or bug spray with people outside your household, according to CNBC.
Crowded pools, beaches and bars?
Avoid them, experts say.
“To the extent possible, we should be avoiding places where there could be a high density of people, that includes pools and that includes beaches,” Barocas tells CNBC.
There’s no evidence the virus can spread through water, the CDC says, but large crowds pose a problem.
If you do go to the beach or pool, it’s important to social distance and avoid crowded areas where that’s not possible, the CDC says.
Crowded bars are also risky.
“Don’t go into them ... unless you can drink outside at a distance from others,” Krysia Lindan, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of California San Francisco, told Vox.
Even if you wear a mask, you still have to take it off to drink.
“Plus, getting intoxicated is likely to result in less ability to continue to be safe,” Lindan tells Vox “It is likely that upticks in cases in some places are the result of parties and bars.”
Additionally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s top infectious disease expert, said during a Senate hearing this week that bars are “really not good,” McClatchy News reported.
“Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news,” he said. “We really have got to stop that.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Fourth of July festivities during a pandemic: How experts say you can celebrate safely."
