It’s time to put a bubble in your ear. Everybody misses their friends. Seeing all of them would increase the risk of infection for everyone. How do we get a taste of normal while keeping the risk low? Glad you asked.
The Social Bubble
If my family wore masks, reduced contact, and stayed safe and yours did, we could form a monogamous friendship. Meaning, we could accept a bit of risk and meet up once a week. Both parties would need to continue being careful, but it would allow children to have play dates.
The Risk
This idea isn’t perfect. I am assuming you are as cautious as I am, and vice versa. If I get sneezed on at the store, you will get it at the next get together. But I might also call that week off if something sketchy happened. The benefit is getting some socialization time, at the trade off of a smaller addition of risk.
What Do the Experts Say
I didn’t come up with this idea. I don’t have numbers to prove it works. But it’s better than having a giant maskless jamboree with every cousin and grandma and neighbor. The links below will show variants of the plan.
Why?
I know people with anxiety and this isolation makes it worse. I’ve got a friend worried about their kids being isolated, and a social bubble would help that. Covid will affect society for a year or two. If it doesn’t kill you, the side effects will hurt. Avoid it. The more people figure out how to reach out a little bit, the easier we can endure it.
Research
https://www.marincounty.org/main/county-press-releases/press-releases/2020/hhs-covid-social-bubbles-061920