Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Life

Is it safe to go to big sporting events during the pandemic?

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Apr, 2021 09:30 PM
  • Is it safe to go to big sporting events during the pandemic?

Is it safe to go to big sporting events during the pandemic?

Not yet, but there are ways to make it safer if you go.

“Yelling, chanting, hugging and generally pouring out our sports enthusiasm is still not the safest activity,” noted Jennifer Dowd, associate professor of population health at University of Oxford and chief scientific officer of Dear Pandemic, a website that offers expert opinions.

If you do decide to go to a game, outdoor stadiums are safer than indoor arenas, which won’t be as well ventilated. Venues that limit attendance and require masks are safer as well. Some teams are requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test for the coronavirus.

Once at the stadium, avoid indoor bars, restaurants and box seating, Dowd said. “Spaces that are indoors with lots of people eating and drinking without masks are still among the riskiest,” she said.

Going to a game is much safer if you’re fully vaccinated, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the agency advises wearing masks at crowded sports events regardless of whether you’ve had your shots.

Evidence on the safety of big games is mixed. The NFL says it safely hosted 1.2 million fans at 119 games during the 2020 season. Some studies that haven’t yet been vetted by outside experts have reached differing conclusions about whether the football season led to more infections. The study findings can’t be certain, since they were based on disease rates in counties, not on contact tracing investigations.

Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said enough Americans will likely be fully vaccinated by June or July to see significant declines in transmission of the virus.

“The risk won’t go to zero,” Hotez said, but it will drop enough that sporting events, restaurants and larger gatherings may be much safer.

The CDC offers additional guidance to help sports fans make decisions as the pandemic continues, such as checking with event organizers about what safety measures are being taken. An important reminder: If you have symptoms, are waiting for a virus test result or have been exposed to someone who’s infected, you should stay home, the CDC says.

Photo courtesy of Istock. 

MORE Life ARTICLES

Fruiticana makes large food donation to the Surrey Food Bank for Vaisakhi

Fruiticana makes large food donation to the Surrey Food Bank for Vaisakhi
On Monday afternoon Tony Singh, Founder & President of Fruiticana in Surrey, made a large food donation to the Surrey Food Bank, delivered in two 10-tonne trucks. 

Fruiticana makes large food donation to the Surrey Food Bank for Vaisakhi

Spring Lawn Equipment: Get Ready for Backyarding in High Style This Year

Spring Lawn Equipment: Get Ready for Backyarding in High Style This Year
A well-cared for lawn and landscape provides the canvas for a year-round backyarding lifestyle. You’ll want to get out there with your outdoor power equipment, like your lawn mower and trimmers, as soon as spring arrives, and you want to do it safely.

Spring Lawn Equipment: Get Ready for Backyarding in High Style This Year

Birth of the Khalsa

Birth of the Khalsa
The usual interpretation of the word Khalsa is made as ‘Pure’ or ‘Khalis.’ Khalsa is also used for a property which belongs to the emperor directly.

Birth of the Khalsa

The Sikh Foundation

The Sikh Foundation
It has been over 50 years since The Sikh Foundation was established and the work they have done in the field of education and culture is exceptional.

The Sikh Foundation

Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen fundraiser campaign needs to raise $2 M

Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen fundraiser campaign needs to raise $2 M
The organization's goal with its prospect space isn't just to feed the poor by distributing free meals but also to create a sacred space for meditation, chanting, and music. 

Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen fundraiser campaign needs to raise $2 M

Time to try growing some vegetable or flower transplants

Time to try growing some vegetable or flower transplants
For some other vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips, the roots don’t take kindly to being transplanted.

Time to try growing some vegetable or flower transplants

PrevNext