#BTColumn – COVID-19 risk at Christmas

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

Cosy rooms packed with people, chatting, laughing, singing, and sharing food and drink for hours are traditional in the festive season. Unfortunately, they are also ideal for fuelling the pandemic, with scientists suggesting infections could easily double over the holiday period.

So here are the key questions to ask about any festivities.

How many people are invited?

No one will be popular for saying this, but the evidence is clear – the larger the group, the greater the risk. If we could meet outside, where the virus gets dispersed in fresh air, it would be less of a problem. And the more people who are involved, the greater the likelihood that someone may be a carrier of the virus – may be without realising,
as they have no symptoms.

A study by Sage concludes that if you double the number of people getting together, the odds of infection increase fourfold. It also matters how many different households are meeting,
as this increases the potential for the virus to spread.

Are you sharing food and drink?

Passing around dishes and bottles, encouraging everyone to tuck in, is one of the most natural instincts at Christmas. But the coronavirus can survive on surfaces, possibly for several hours, so plates and cutlery can become contaminated.

The same applies to board games where everyone’s touching the dice and the cards, so Sage recommends playing quiz-style games instead. It suggests keeping hand sanitiser by the front door and urging everyone arriving to use it.

And for overnight stays, children should share rooms with their parents, to minimise contact between households. Above all, don’t hug granny. “Elbow bumps or air greetings”
are a safer alternative.

Can you keep the noise down?

Amid the excitement of reunions, it’s perfectly normal for voices to be raised.

Add a little alcohol, and maybe have a TV or music on as well, and things can get even noisier. But if someone is infected, the louder they speak, the more virus they release.

A lot of research shows that when voices are projected, people emit more tiny droplets of the kind that can
carry the coronavirus.

So the advice is to avoid singing and dancing. At the very least, try to keep those activities quiet or consider wearing masks. Maybe the safest option is to hum Silent Night.

How long are you together for?

Popping in for a quick visit is safer than lingering over dinner for several hours. Researchers say an event’s duration has a big impact on the infection risk.

In March, more than 50 members of a US choir were confirmed or suspected of being infected, after a two-and-a-half-hour rehearsal session.

Scientists reckoned if it had lasted less than an hour, the number of infections would have been reduced by more
than half.

Professor Cath Noakes, one of the study’s authors, says the problem is that tiny particles carrying the virus – known as aerosols – can accumulate in the air: “There is growing evidence that if you’re in a poorly ventilated space for a long period of time with people who are infected, you may breathe in those aerosols and that might be one of the routes of infection,” she said. So the recommendation is to plan for shorter events and to try to maximise quality time together.

Are the windows open?

Fresh air dilutes any virus that might be lingering in a crowded room. A Sage report says the infection risk can be four times greater without proper ventilation. And in this context, “ventilation” doesn’t mean having fans blowing the air around, but a flow of air from outside. Open up for 10-20 minutes every hour, the report says.

So is there a safe way to celebrate?

According to Prof Noakes, people must dream up creative new options for Christmas. That could range from meeting virtually on Zoom, going for a walk, having a picnic, or even delaying big gatherings until next summer.

If you are having a meal indoors, try to minimise contact with others for 7-14 days beforehand. Work out a plan for how to minimise the risks – and maybe put up signs or labels
to remind people.

Also try to avoid having people from different households sitting opposite each other, because speaking face-to-face
is another possible route for transmission.

But is any of this feasible?

The smaller the home, the harder these measures will be, the Sage advisers acknowledge. And laying on hand sanitiser may not be affordable for many people.

But any social setting increases the risk of infection, says Prof Noakes, and we will have to compromise and do things in a different way.

“The virus doesn’t know it’s Christmas,” she says. “It’s just a virus, and it thrives on human contact.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-55017034