COVID-19: How can I safely attend an event?

For the most part, the world is no longer in lock-down. COVID-19 is still here but things are opening and events are happening. How do we make the right choices about what events to attend now that there are no public health orders guiding us?

“It’s really up to each individual to assess the risk associated with each event for themselves,” noted Dr. Cory Neudorf, Senior Medical Health Officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.  “So much depends on their individual circumstances and the state of COVID-19 in the area – local rates, whether new variants are taking off and vaccine coverage rates in their area when it comes to risking exposure to COVID-19.”

No matter what kind of event you are planning to attend, with the Delta variant growing, and a number of people unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, consider wearing a mask to crowded events to keep yourself and others protected.

“Without public health orders in place, it is up to each individual to think not only about what they need to do to protect themselves, but what needs to happen to protect the community around them and those who are vulnerable or can’t get immunized yet, such as young children,” noted Neudorf.

Health experts agree, the best way to protect yourself from becoming extremely ill with COVID-19 is by receiving two doses of any approved COVID-19 vaccine.

“It’s the most powerful tool we have,” said Neudorf. “Even if you are exposed to the COVID-19 Delta variant, the vaccine will decrease the chance of needing the hospital, and will provide some protection for those around you who cannot be vaccinated yet, such as children under the age of 12. Young children don’t have a choice about being vaccinated yet – they simply can’t. It’s up to the adults around them to protect them.”

It’s also important to keep up with other health measures when possible – wash your hands often, keep two metres between yourself and other people in public places, wear a mask and stay home if you feel ill.

“We ended up not having a significant flu season in Saskatchewan last year because of all the health measures we had in place to protect us from COVID. We stopped the flu in its tracks because of some simple things we were doing, like washing our hands, staying home when we were sick, and masking. We should try to keep those up until things improve.”