Dr. Preeti Malani shares quarantine-friendly summer safety guidelines

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and with quarantine fatigue setting in, many of us are ready to head out and perhaps open up our circle of contacts and get outdoors.

With temperatures heating up, many are wondering if it’s safe to have a small barbeque with a few friends, swim in a pool or dive into the lake or ocean water?

To help, Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease professor and Chief Health Officer from the University of Michigan to shares some summer safety guidelines. 

Dr. Malani had great news for those who love to be in the water. She confirmed CDC guidance that pool chemicals eliminate the virus, so it’s safe to splash. In lakes and ocean water, the dilution is such that the risk is extremely low there as well. She said the risk comes from the pool deck and on the beach itself, where people lose track of the crowded sand and may get too close to too many people.

RELATED: 'No evidence' COVID-19 can be spread in swimming pools, CDC says

And if you opt to join with family and friends for some grilling time, the same rules apply – it’s the people, not the food that pose risk for spreading COVID-19. At a public park, for example, again be careful to not get in close contact with other groups of people.

When it comes to facial coverings, Malani said this needs to be a personal choice. While you obviously can’t wear a mask to eat and as we slowly reopen, you can increase your risk slightly, but should also tend to your need to be social. Using disposable utensils and plates is not a bad idea, she added.

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