COVID-19 Reopening: Safest Activities

We don’t want you to use our cremation services in Quincy, FL any sooner than you have to, so here are some guidelines about the safest activities you can engage in during COVID-19 reopening. These guidelines are based on these factors:

• Everyone is wearing a facemask;
• Social distancing is being practiced;
• Local infection rates are no higher than moderate;
• COVID-19 testing is readily available and is being done.

The safest conditions in a reopening phase are when cases of COVID-19 or 5% or lower.

In general, outdoor activities are safer than indoor activities. Additionally, short-duration activities are safer than long-duration activities. Any activity that doesn’t include large crowds of people is safer than activities that take place with a lot of people present.

You should have what the experts call an exposure budget. What this means is that you do not immediately return to doing all the usual things that you did before the pandemic began. Try to space activities out as much as possible to limit the possibility that you can be exposed to the virus.

It’s important to note that any activity can be more or less safe depending on whether facemasks are being worn, social distancing is being practiced, and proper handwashing is being practiced by all the participants.

Epidemiologists who are researching this have created an activity score from 1, with one representing the lowest risk, to 10, with 10 representing the highest risk.

The most risky activities (listed from highest to lowest and between 7 and 10 on the scale) include:

Attending events with large gatherings, including political events, social events, and sporting events (if people are allowed to be present);

• Going to crowded beaches;
• Going to bars;
• Going to airports and traveling by planes;
• Going to amusement parks;
• Going to gyms;
• Going to houses of worship;
• Playing sports where people are in close contact (basketball is highest);
• Going to public pools;
• Going to casinos;
• Going to barbershops or hair salons;
• Going to theaters.

Activities with a moderate risk (listed from highest to lowest and between 3 and 5 on the scale) include:

• Attending a dinner party;
• Eating inside a restaurant;
• Staying at hotels;
• Bowling with masks and social distancing;
• Going to museums and libraries;
• Eating outdoors at a restaurant;
• Going to work in an office;
• Going to crowded indoor shopping areas.

Activities with the least amount of risk (listed from highest to lowest and between 1 and 2 on the scale) include:

• Going camping using your own tent, camper, or recreational vehicle;
• Getting groceries;
• Getting takeout food or having food delivered to your home;
• Golfing;
• Going to a medical office;
• Playing tennis;
• Walking, running, or biking outdoors;
• Filling your vehicle with gas.

Attending events with large gatherings is ranked 10, which makes it the riskiest activity that you can engage in during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going to bars has an activity risk of 9. There are several reasons why this activity can be so risky.

One reason is because bars are naturally very crowded and people are very close together by design (to socialize). The other reason is because alcohol lowers inhibitions. So, although people may come in wearing masks and trying to do all the right things, after they’ve had a few drinks the masks and other safety measures go out the window.

For your safety and for the safety of your family and other people you are around on a regular basis, you should avoid any high risk activity during COVID-19. Your life may depend on it. Even if you get COVID-19 and have mild or no symptoms, you are exposing everyone around you to potentially much more serious symptoms and even death.

For information about cremation services in Quincy, FL, including grief resources, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations is here to assist you.