Life Kit - From Camping To Road Trips: Here's How Experts Rate The Risks Of Summer Activities

Episode Date: May 30, 2020

Summer is here, but the typical summer activities don't feel quite as carefree. How do you know if it's safe to hit the beach, rent a vacation home or pitch a tent? Life Kit host Allison Aubrey interviews experts to rate the risks of favorite summer pastimes.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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looked into this and shared some findings with Morning Edition's David Green. So in case you missed that conversation, here it is. This message comes from Money for Couples, a new book and podcast that help you and your partner build and share financial vision. Discover clear, actionable steps for spending and saving that bring you closer together. Start your financial future today.

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coverage of a changing country. Promises made, promises kept. We're going to keep our promises. On the NPR Politics Podcast. COVID-19 is certainly not gone, but it can't stop summer, right? So how do we weigh the risks of some of our favorite summertime activities, whether it's camping, maybe gathering in the backyard, maybe a day at the beach or the pool? Well, let's get some answers to those questions from NPR's Alison Aubrey, who's been looking into it. Hi, Alison. Hey there, David. So you've been talking to public health experts. What did you find out? That's right. Well, I have asked about everything from the risks of dining out, going to bars, camping, hosting a barbecue, taking a road trip, going to the beach. And there's a lot of consensus of which scenarios are safe. And David, I am not much of a poet, but I have put together

something snappy here to kind of sum up the consensus. You ready? Okay, I'm ready. Head outside for fun. It's the safest place to be. Avoid boisterous drunks and crowds. Small groups are key. Well, I would say you are a poet. That's lovely. Let's dive into that a little bit. I mean, small groups are key, obviously makes sense. Outside being better, I assume that's because it's easy to social distance when you're outdoors? Yeah, I mean, that's part of it. When you're outdoors, there's better circulation, constant ventilation. And there's another factor too, sunlight. I spoke to Shauna Ratnazar-Schumate. She did this very cool study.

She's a researcher at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasure Center. That's a mouthful, part of the Department of Homeland Security. And she and her colleagues put coronavirus in simulated saliva, then exposed it to light. As soon as we introduced even low levels of sunlight, about 90% of the virus was inactivated in about 13 minutes. And that's at a sunlight level that you could think about would be in the winter or early morning. Now at peak intensity of summer sunlight, it was inactivated in about seven minutes. So sunlight really is a good disinfectant. Oh, that's really cool to hear. I guess still wear your sunscreen if you're going to be in sunlight for a while, but it

can be a safe place to be when it comes to staying healthy in terms of this virus. Well, tell me about road tripping. I mean, if I wanted to head to the beach or take a camping trip, are those kinds of things okay? You know, there was unanimous agreement among the experts that we spoke to that camping can be a great low-risk way to get out in nature and enjoy yourself. Same with the beach or the lake if you can avoid super crowded spots. But here's the important point.

It's what you do when you get to the beach or the campsite and who you're with that could possibly drive up the risk. I spoke to Andrew Janowski. He's an infectious disease expert at Washington University in St. Louis. He says be very careful about expanding your social bubble, your social circle, and find out about each person. Is this a person who's also practicing social distancing? Because if they're doing what they can and you're doing what you can, you know, that helps put a shield around all of you. So I would say maybe this is not the best summer to make a whole bunch of new friends.

The idea here is to have a trusted few. But this is really helpful because it sounds like it is less about what you're doing and more about who you're surrounding yourself with. Yeah, that's exactly right. And I would add a note to surfers or people who like to hang out at the beach a lot. Kay Beidel is a professor of microbial

oceanography at Rutgers University. She says if infected people were congregating at the shore, the winds could disperse the virus. So while it's clear there's a lower risk of exposure outdoors compared to indoors, it's still important to practice social distancing, even in the surf lineup. Okay, let's say I want to go on a trip with another family, people I trust and know, as you said. What about going with them renting a beach house or a lake house? Is that cool? For the most part, all the experts I spoke to say go for it. It can be low risk if you take the precautions we've talked about.

Here's Andrew Janowski again. For the most part, a vacation home is low risk. I think one of the hidden weapons that we have against this virus is actually time. We know this virus may last up to a few days on surfaces. And so the longer that nobody's been in the home, the lower risk that the virus is still present in the rental property. And you can easily wipe down the surfaces when you arrive. And he says with hotels, it's really a similar story. Many of them are doubling down on cleaning policies. The greater risk of exposure is who you come in contact with when you go to the rental home or the hotel. Because remember, it's the person-to-person contact

that's the main route of transmission. So are there things we should really make sure to avoid this summer? You know, when you think of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, there's inherent risk when people are in close quarters. So experts say for food, takeout is safer than hanging out in a restaurant or bar. And a physician I spoke to, he's a public health expert at Ohio State University, Bill Miller. He says when you mix crowds and alcohol, the risk can really go up. When people drink alcohol, they tend to lose inhibitions.

They don't follow the rules. People start moving closer to one another. People tend to talk a little bit louder sometimes. And essentially, anytime that you're more forcefully expelling air, there's going to be a greater push of virus from the lungs and into the air. So if there's one infected person, it's easy to see how that can spread. He says the best evidence of this has been the well-publicized case of the outbreak in the choir in Washington State. Oh, that's right. Yeah, that was really tragic. Yeah. All right. So avoid people who are

drunk and speaking loudly. I guess the one other question I want to ask that's probably on the minds of a lot of people, what about public restrooms? Sure. At some point, if you're on a road trip, you're going to have to go, right? And Bill Miller and the other experts I spoke to say the risk here is low if you're smart. There are lots of surfaces in a bathroom from handles to faucets. So wash your hands, as we've all heard a million times. And the ventilation isn't great in bathrooms either. So get in and out quickly, wear your mask, and the fewer people in there, the better. That was Alison Aubrey with Morning Edition's David Green. One last note from Alison.

Remember, being outside doesn't mean you're 100% safe from spreading or catching COVID-19. It's all about who you're with and how close they are. So whatever you're doing this summer, maintain that physical distance. For more NPR Life Kit, check out npr.org slash life kit. And if you love Life Kit and want more, subscribe to our newsletter at npr.org slash life kit newsletter. If you got a good tip, leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email us at lifekit at npr.org. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Thanks for listening. The right choice is crucial, which is why teams at one-third of Fortune 500 companies use Grammarly. With top-tier security credentials and 15 years of experience in responsible AI, Grammarly isn't just another AI communication assistant.

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