GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Many of us have been living inside our own bubble of protection during the stay at home order. Wouldn't it be great if we could keep it this way? Unfortunately, we can’t, because giant safety bubbles don't really exist.
Let's rank the risks of COVID 19 infection with Dr. Andrew Jameson an infectious disease specialist with Mercy Health Saint Mary's, "Risk really is the environment you're in, how enclosed is that space, how many people are around you. But also knowing what are the symptoms of people around you."
What does Dr. Jameson consider high risk?
- sporting events
- school events
- bars
- churches
- concerts
“It's very very difficult to socially distance. It's a situation where we don't know what the health is of those around us. That's what we have to protect as a society that one person infecting the other people.", says Jameson.
At medium risk Dr. Jameson says:
- hair salons
- restaurants
“Restaurants have an opportunity to space out tables appropriately. Really put you in a situation where you have a server coming to you. You can wear a mask." Dr. Jameson says hair salons have the opportunity to space out client chairs and wipe down between appointments, "People are not going to be as close to you that you don't know."
And low risk according to Dr. Jameson:
- grocery stores
He says their high ceilings, continuously moving people and social distancing at the checkout is what puts them in the low risk category, "Grocery stores are just not a significant place where we're getting infected." However, he says that doesn't mean you should be taking your entire family and you should still be using hand sanitizer and wear a mask.
And what makes 10 the magic number when it comes to social gatherings?
"It's more of a marker of what is the average sized room out there what is the average square footage of that room and how can we ensure adequate social distancing in there." explains Jameson.
Dr. Jameson wants to remind us that even though it may seem like we're getting back to normal we are far from safe when it comes to COVID 19, “When everything is lifted it doesn't mean that the risk is gone and the virus is gone."
Until there's a proven vaccine for the coronavirus you can expect face masks, hand sanitizer and staying six feet away to continue to be are our new normal.
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