While we’re learning to live with masks, social distancing and new rituals of hand washing and disinfecting surfaces, some additional guidelines are needed to minimize risk of contracting COVID-19 as lockdowns end and life moves forward, public health experts said. They refer to this as a “harm reduction” approach. And while the guidelines they offer don’t eliminate risk, they can minimize risk of transmission as people try to return to daily life.
Check the health of your state and community
To gauge your risk of coming in contact with an infected person, pay attention to these indicators of COVID-19 in your area – the percentage of tests that are positive, and the trend in overall case rates.
The percentage of positive cases tells you if testing and contact tracing are finding mild and asymptomatic cases. When positive test rates remain at 5% or lower for two weeks, that suggests there’s adequate testing to get COVID-19 transmission under control and you’re less likely to come in contact with someone with the virus. If the percentage of positive tests starts to rise, take more precautions.
Meanwhile, if the number of overall cases is low or falling, that could mean less risk, but you still need to be vigilant, and if case counts start rising take more precautions.
Information can be found on the Alabama Department of Public Health website.
Limit the number of your close contacts
In general, the more closely you interact with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 transmission. COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with others. You are safest with members of your own household, but if you want to widen your circle to extended family or friends:
- Keep the number of close contacts as low and consistent as possible and think about whether they have been wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
- Keep six feet of space between you and others. The closer you are to other people who might be infected, the greater your risk of getting sick.
- Indoor spaces are more risky than outdoor spaces because it’s harder to keep people apart inside and there’s less ventilation.
- Continue to practice everyday preventive actions, like wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing your hands frequently, not touching your face and staying home if you are sick.
Manage your exposure budget
Risk is cumulative and going forward you’ll need to make trade-offs, choosing activities that are most important to you, like seeing an aging parent, and skipping things that aren’t as important. Low-risk choices, like a trip to the grocery store or exercising outdoors, are relatively easy on the budget. You spend more budget points when you attend an indoor dinner party or get a haircut. You blow your budget completely if you spend time in a crowd.
Keep higher-risk activities as short as possible
Public health experts said people should consider how much time they could possibly be near an infected person when they are out in the community. They said close contact with an infected person for a period of time substantially increases the risk of contracting the virus, and they recommend that when making decisions, keep indoor events brief, move social events outdoors and always wear a mask and practice social distancing.
It’s not yet known the level of exposure needed to transmit the virus, public health experts said. When health officials perform contact tracing on infected individuals, they typically look for people with whom they’ve spent at least 15 minutes in close contact.
Public health experts provided this guidance about time of contact:
- Brief contact – Brief encounters, particularly those outside (for example, passing someone on the sidewalk), are not likely to result in transmission of the virus.
- Face-to-face contact – People should wear a mask and keep conversations short.
- Indoor contact – In an enclosed space, like an office, at a party, in a restaurant or in church, you can still become infected from a person across the room if you share the same air for an extended period of time. Public health experts said it’s best to avoid indoor activities with others who are not part of your household.
(Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York Times)