How to safely gather for July 4th during pandemic

This is anything but a normal Fourth of July holiday weekend.

But there still are ways to safely gather with family and some — the operative word being some — friends while staying safe during the current spike in covid-19.

“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 advises considering 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 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 far enough apart to encourage 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,” Redfield said.

Pittsburgh 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.