High and Low Risk Pandemic Activities

It seems like everyone is looking for guidance on what activities they should or shouldn't be doing during the ongoing pandemic. It doesn't help that we can't get consistent messaging from our government and leaders. So a group of infectious disease experts have stepped up and provided a ranking system of popular summer activities and which ones are the most dangerous.

Before they ranked the activities, the experts looked at four different risk factors to base their rankings on. The four key factors are,

1. Enclosed space
2. Duration of interaction with people
3. Are there crowds?
4. Forceful exhalation...singing or screaming and yelling

After taking those four criteria into account, here are the activities that are first deemed to be the lowest risk for contracting coronavirus.

• Staying home
• walking, running, biking
• socially distanced picnic
• getting takeout, picking up your groceries

Up next, the list of low to medium risk activities where you might contract COVID-19

• Grocery shopping
• Retail shopping
• playing distanced sports like tennis or golf

Now, the list of medium risk activities.

• Outdoor restaurants
• Museums
• Taking a taxi or Uber
• doctor or dentist appointment
• visiting the E.R.

Next up are medium to high-risk activities.

• Working out at the gym
• working in an office
• indoor restaurants and coffee shops
• getting your hair or nails done

And finally, the list of activities that are deemed to be at the highest risk of contraction.

• Indoor parties
• contact sports
• bars and nightclubs
• public transportation
• airplanes
• concerts
• religious services
• movie theaters
• live sporting events

You can find more information on the doctors, yes, doctors, who completed this research HERE. It's one more thing to look at and consider before you head out the door for any activities. Stay safe!