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Playgrounds, camps, beach days | Kids' summer activities ranked for COVID-19 risk

Understanding what risks are involved with different activities, can help you decide what’s best for your family.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kids are less likely to develop a severe case or complications from COVID-19. But they can spread the virus to grandparents, and other people in more vulnerable groups.

Understanding what risks are involved with different activities, can help you decide what’s best for your family.

Brian Hartl, an epidemiologist with the Kent County Health Department, ranked some of the top summer activities for kids. He gave them a grade of low, medium, or high risk.

Starting with the low-risk activities, those include spending time with other families, especially if they’ve been limiting their own risk of exposure. 

Going to the playground, beach, and pool are also on the low end. Public pools might be a little more risky than the beach, since there’s less room for social distancing. 

Kids can have a tough time staying separated. That’s why playdates are in the medium-risk category, along with day camps. You’ll want to make sure the people running the camp are enforcing proper safety guidelines. 

Sleepaway camps, though, carry a higher risk. 

Credit: 13 OYS / Kent County Health Department

“I think it just goes back to the basics, any activity that brings kids in close contact with each other, is going to be the highest risk environment for your kids to pick up this infection,” Hartl said. “So anything where there's a lot of people gathered together in a close space, a lot of close physical contact with other individuals, those are the environments that are going to be the highest risk for transmission.”

When it comes to youth sports, there are also varying risk levels. Cross country and golf are lower-risk than basketball or football, which are much closer contact. 

The Michigan High School Athletic Association ranked the risk level for each sport. You can find that information here

Hartl also talked about summer travel. If you have plans to get away, taking your car is less risky than flying on a plane. 

Of course, with all of these activities, social distancing, and having a face mask and hand sanitizer on hand, are important to remember. 

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