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As cities begin to reopen for summer amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, many of us will be wondering if we can go back to “normal” in terms of socializing, or if we need to still maintain strict social distancing protocols. Experts assert that certain public places carry a greater risk than others, and it’s our responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and behaviors to stay safe and health. What are they?
READ MORE: The Scary Mistake You’re Probably Making When Getting Curbside Pickup, According To Health Experts
Mixing personal and public items. "When going out in public spaces, it’s easy to touch something public such as a shopping cart and then automatically touch your phone, pen, or other personal items," health and wellness expert Linda Morgan of Motivation nooks tells us. So true!
"It’s so natural for us to touch these things constantly that we forget that during this pandemic, transferring germs means more of a likelihood of us getting sick," she explains. Therefore, if you’re going into a public place such as a supermarket, be strategic."
So, what should you do to be vigilant? "Wear a glove on one hand to touch the cart and the food, while you can use the ungloved hand for your personal items," she explains. "If you need to steer with two hands, wrap a plastic vegetable bag around the cart handle so that you’re not touching it directly and you still have one hand free to touch your stuff."
But that's not all--here are more health expert tips for navigating public places at this time:
Going to enclosed, crowded places. "The risk for getting infected by the COVID virus depends on the number of people in a space, the size of the space, how long you are there, and the number of viral particles in the air," Leann Poston M.D., M.B.A., M.Ed., of Invigor Medical tells us.
"The worst mistake you can make is to stay for a long time in a crowded, enclosed location especially in an area of the country that still has a high prevalence of COVID infection."
Being near loud people. This is one sounds odd, but Dr. Poston asserts, "With all other factors being unchanged, your risk depends on the number of viral particles reaching your mucus membrane so standing in close proximity to someone who is yelling, screaming, or talking loudly or inadvertently cough or sneezes will increase your risk."
