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Reopening

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What’s the importance of ventilation in preventing SARS-CoV-2?

Infection and Spread Masks Reopening School Staying Safe

Q: How can I best manage the ventilation in my own office/school/home? A: Scientists are calling for more attention to VENTILATION in prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. You can help manage risk by opening doors and windows where possible, increasing outside airflow and filtration in HVAC systems, using portable HEPA air filters, and wearing masks indoors. Read more…

Ugh, what’s the deal with this new study from South Korea about kids transmitting COVID-19?

Families/Kids Infection and Spread Reopening

Does this mean going back to school is more dangerous than we thought? A: As you’ve noticed by now, headlines are often more sensational than the underlying facts. This is a large, solidly conducted study but doesn’t move the needle on what we already know: younger children seem less likely to contract and spread SARS-CoV-2, Read more…

With so much talk about schools and reopening, what factors are important to consider when weighing risks/benefits of doing so?

Families/Kids Reopening School Staying Safe

As nerdy girls, parents, and educators, we want so much to have clarity around school reopening. But, we just don’t yet know everything we need to know (and may not in 6 weeks!). So our best offering to you, our dear followers, is to share our ideas about how to assess the issue. We hope Read more…

Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?

Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School

A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…

How on earth are schools going to safely re-open in the Fall?! And please, for the love of God tell me schools can open in Fall?!

Reopening School

We know these questions are on everyone’s mind, and we have to be honest that this is still very much a “wait and see” question as the circumstances on the ground, as well as our knowledge of the science develop. The Nerdy Girls are very sympathetic to the huge educational and social costs of keeping Read more…

How do I know what is going on in my county/state in order to calibrate my activities and risk as things open up?

Data and Metrics Reopening Staying Safe

A: “Covid Act Now” has put together a really useful website with COVID data and risk levels for all 50 states and 2100+ counties. They use four key indicators for gauging risk: 1) Is COVID spreading? Are cases and deaths increasing? 2) Are we testing enough? Is COVID testing widespread enough to identify new cases? Read more…

What activities can we do safely and which are better to avoid this summer?

Families/Kids Infection and Spread Reopening Socializing Staying Safe

A: With some modifications, there are opportunities to have some fun this summer. Promise. Risk happens on a continuum with all events outside your home carrying some level of risk. Some activities carry higher risks than others. It’s best to choose lower risk activities to limit transmission of the virus within your community and beyond. Read more…

Our neighborhood pool plans to reopen in a couple of weeks when our state eases lockdowns. Is the pool a risky place for COVID-19 transmission?

Families/Kids Infection and Spread Reopening Staying Safe

A: You’re unlikely to get COVID-19 *from* the pool, but you could certainly be exposed *at* the pool. To clarify: Pool water is heavily chlorinated, and COVID-19 is not waterborne in any case. So, being immersed in the pool or otherwise exposed to pool water is not risky in and of itself. The problem, of Read more…

What’s brought you hope this week?

Reopening Staying Safe

A: Food trucks! Pittsburgh Magazine’s recent article showcases scrappy food truck owners working hard to re-open *safely.* It’s a joy to see the amazing work ethic and bright minds of these small business owners innovating evidence-based ways forward. What’s in their secret sauce? (Please pardon the pun). Three key themes: (1) METRICS: The food truck Read more…

My state is re-opening. Yay! Also, yikes! Are we…ready??

Reopening

A: Short answer: Probably not. Longer answer: The White House published “gating criteria” in their Reopening America Again guidelines. These are data-driven criteria that each state or region should satisfy before reopening. They include things like having a 14-day downward trajectory or new cases, hospital capacity to treat all patients without crisis, and a “robust” Read more…

I keep hearing about a move towards a “harm reduction” phase of the pandemic response, what does this mean?

Reopening Staying Safe

A: As defined in the article below, “harm reduction refers to policies and practices designed to minimize negative health, social and legal impacts of a particular activity.” An example of public health efforts aimed at harm reduction are needle exchange programs where individuals using injected drugs can exchange used needles for clean ones as a Read more…

My state is starting to re-open, but it isn’t clear when or if childcare or camps will be available in my area–what will we do with the kids all summer?!?

Families/Kids Reopening Staying Safe

A: As states move away from stay at home orders and change recommendations to permit gatherings of slightly larger groups, one option for addressing childcare needs may be for two families (i.e., households) to join together to form a slightly bigger “bubble”. Under this approach, two households combine exclusively (i.e., minimize all other outside contacts). Read more…

Is it safe to go back to the gym?

Reopening

A: Sadly, the answer is NO. Gyms are tricky environments for infection control. Below are a few of the challenges posed by Covid-19 in gyms and potential adjustments to lessen risks. If you can afford to do so, MAINTAIN YOUR GYM MEMBERSHIP FEES while taking a break from visits. Workout equipment is used by multiple Read more…