How to safely gather for July 4th during pandemic - TribLIVE

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This is anything but a normal Fourth of July holiday weekend, everyone knows that.

But there are still ways to safely gather with family and some — the operative word being some — friends while staying safe.

“It is going to be a different holiday,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician. “Holidays are excuses to get together and be social. We saw this with Memorial Day gatherings (in May). But we need to remember that we are in a pandemic, and there is risk and you have to do what you can to minimize that risk.”

Adalja said people should consider ways to minimize the risk of contracting covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Consider how many people will be in attendance and who those people are, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping a list of guests at a gathering in case the need for contract tracing later arises.

An outdoor get-together outside is much safer than gathering indoors.

Precautions such as frequent hand washing and not touching one’s face apply more now than ever, he said. Avoid congregating around the grill. Wear a mask, except when dining. Don’t share utensils or beverages.

Set up tables and chairs for social distancing.

Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen this week urged people to avoid large crowds and large amounts of alcohol.

For every confirmed case, officials are likely missing another 10 cases, Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, told USA Today. The CDC has specific guidelines for covid-19.

“We have a significant increase in cases. We need to understand that. We need to interrupt that,” Redfield said. “We obviously are concerned.”

Other safety tips include placing disposable towels in a bathroom and letting people inside a home one at a time to use the bathroom. The CDC recommends an outdoor sanitizing station or plenty of hand sanitizers. The agency says one person should handle the grilling to avoid multiple people handling food or utensils.

“For the Fourth of July, which is a family event, we want to emphasize that it’s really important that we get back to being vigilant as our collective commitment … to protect vulnerable friends, family community,” Redfield said.

Mayor Bill Peduto released a statement Thursday as the region faces a record surge in covid-19 cases.

“As we go into a holiday weekend while also experiencing massive levels of new covid-19 cases in Allegheny County, I strongly and emphatically urge Pittsburgh residents to be careful and smart, and to reconsider any plans for large July 4 gatherings,” he said.

The statement emphasizes Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders to wear masks at all times and to keep social distancing.

Also Thursday, Wolf reminded Pennsylvanians to avoid large gatherings.

“The green phase is not a green light to stop exercising caution,” he said.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Coronavirus | Editor's Picks | Lifestyles | Local | Allegheny

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the list of underlying medical conditions that increase risk of severe illness, increasing the number of people who fall into higher risk groups. The more underlying medical conditions people have, the higher their risk, CDC said. The conditions include:

Chronic kidney disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Obesity
Weakened immune system from solid organ transplant
Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
Sickle cell disease
Type 2 diabetes

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How to safely gather for July 4th during pandemic - TribLIVE

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