COVID-19 risk assessment for family activities

With COVID-19 numbers increasing in parts of the country, many of us with kids (My Big Day and “Loveland Drive-In” employees included) are wondering what we can do to keep our families entertained outside of the house and how safe those activities really are. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has updated information about the risk level of various activities. We are pleased that drive-in shows continue to be listed as one of the safest activities for families this summer. 

See our COVID-19 risk assessment for family activities list below! 

High-Risk Activities 
(from “Covid 19 Risk Calculator,”  ABC News, updated June 19, 2020)
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• Yoga/workout classes/gym 

Why:“Lots of sweaty strangers in an enclosed environment, what could go wrong? You’ll also be tempted to wipe sweat off your face, potentially touching your eyes and mouth area, making the risk even higher.”

• Vacation 

Why: Even if you “wear a mask and gloves in the airport and on the airplane, you take the first flight of the morning to avoid crowds and take advantage of overnight cleaning on the airplane, the airport isn’t crowded, and passengers on the plane are seated with empty seats between them,” the risk is high according to the article’s doctors. “You could do everything right, but at the end of the day you’re at the mercy of your fellow passengers’ health and hygiene.” There is also a risk that, if cases suddenly increase in your area of travel, you will not be able to return home for weeks or months. 

• Visiting grandparents

Why: It doesn’t matter if case numbers are low in your area, if you avoid staying in hotels, or if you have your entire family tested before the visit, “Grandparents are always going to be a higher risk population. And remember, you can test negative one day and contract the virus the next.” 

• Graduation/Independence Day/birthday party with 20 friends and family members

Why: The highest-risk activity on this list, it doesn’t matter if your invitees have been mostly staying home or come wearing masks – no one can wear a mask while eating or drinking, and adding alcohol into the mix makes people less likely to be vigilant. And, unless you have 40 bowls on hand and the time to individually dish out chips and salsa to each of your guests, there will be shared food handling involved. 

Medium-Risk Activities

• Dinner party with 3 or fewer friends

Why: Even if everyone washes their hands and has been following social distancing advice, your attendees won’t be able to wear masks while eating. You can make this activity slightly safer by eating outside, 6 feet apart, and using disposable (biodegradable, please!) dishes and cutlery. 

• Kids’ Summer Camp

Why: Campers should be kept in groups of 10 or less with no intermixing and as much outdoor time as possible. However, during hot summer months it is usually impossible to keep children outside at all times.

Low-Risk Activities

• Camping

Why: If you maintain social distancing, eat only food you brought from home, wear masks whenever you are around other people and use hand sanitizer regularly, camping is a low risk activity. 

• Drive-in Movies/Concerts

Why: As long as cars are parked 6 feet apart, employees wear masks when interacting with customers, and you maintain your distance from others when outside of your car, drive-in shows are one of the safest out-of-the-house activities this summer. At the Loveland Drive-In, we go the extra mile with even more precautions:

• By staggering our cars in a checkerboard pattern, we keep vehicles 10 feet apart rather than the required 6
• Our employees monitor bathroom lines to be sure people are maintaining their distance from each other and that there are no more than 3 people in line at a time
• We also regularly disinfect our restrooms with an aerosol spray for airborne germs and a bleach spray for solid surfaces like faucets and toilet handles​

The Loveland Drive-In abides by the CDC’s advice on their latest “Deciding to Go Out”  information page (updated June 15, 2020):

• Choose places where there is limited sharing of items and where any items that are shared are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between uses.  You can also choose to visit places that share, post, or announce that they have increased cleaning and disinfection to protect others from COVID-19.

• Can you keep 6 feet of space between you and others? Will you be outdoors or indoors? Indoor spaces are more risky than outdoor spaces where it might be harder to keep people apart and there’s less ventilation. Choose outdoor activities and places where it’s easy to stay 6 feet apart, like parks and open-air facilities.

 

• Use visual reminders—like signs, chair arrangements, markings on the floor, or arrows—to help remind you to keep your distance from others. (At the Loveland Drive-In, we have “X”s spray-painted on parking spaces in a checkerboard pattern to remind attendees not to park too close to others.)

 

• Will I need to take public transportation to get to the activity? Public transit can put you in close contact with others. By nature, at a drive-in, you BYOV (bring your own vehicle)!

 

• Before you go somewhere, call and ask what extra prevention strategies they are using, like requiring staff to wear cloth face coverings. Visit our FAQ  and Code of Conduct pages for the Loveland Drive-In to see some of the precautions we are taking to make sure your family stays safe! 

There’s still time to join us for some low-risk family fun this summer! Tickets available HERE!
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