hello, stage 3: how safe are you?
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just because we are allowed to go to bars and gyms, it doesn't mean it's safe. stock/getty
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the city of toronto and peel region enters stage 3 of reopening today as the ontario government continues to move towards resuming services and activities across the province. businesses and public spaces such as bars, gyms and playgrounds have reopened, while gathering limits have increased to 50 people indoors and up to 100 outdoors (physical distancing still applies for anyone outside your household or 10-person social circle).
although it seems like life pre-pandemic is slowly beginning again, an ontario doctor warns that these experiences will be very different than what we’re used to.
“just because these things are open doesn’t mean they’re open in the way that they were,” says dr. zain chagla, an infectious disease physician at st. joseph’s healthcare hamilton. “it’s important that people realize there are best practices in terms of infection control and public health in these places, and there’s not going to be zero risk.”
but if you decide to take advantage of the opportunity to experience a sense of normalcy, there are things you can do to stay safe.
bars and indoor dining
it’s all about moderation. try to limit both your staying time and alcohol intake.
“obviously, it’s harder to adhere to the rules when you get a bit disinhibited, so be respectful of your level of consumption,” says chagla. even though you’re not wearing a mask while drinking and eating (put avoiding sharing beverages and food on the list of things to avoid as well), he recommends bringing a mask for situations in which you might find yourself standing around, like waiting for the washroom.
“if it’s a cramped, poorly ventilated setting where you have a big lineup of people, that’s a time bomb for covid-19 transmission,” he says.
gyms
while some may not want to exercise with a mask on, chagla cautions that this is an environment that carries a high risk of transmission.
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“this is one of those settings where you want to go above and beyond, and consider wearing a mask — even a cloth mask with some breathability,” he says. “if people are panting and breathing hard, there’s a lot of droplets expelled in that process.” for those who find it difficult to wear a mask, chagla recommends completing high intensity exercises like cardio outside while the weather is still nice. “take a jog or bike to the gym without a mask and then do the lower intensity stuff at the gym,” he says.
playgrounds
“playgrounds are naturally nice in the sense that they’re outdoors, they’re well-ventilated and the uv light is actually relatively important against covid-19 transmission in that surface contact is not as big of a deal,” says chagla. for those reasons, he says that playgrounds are fairly low-risk. in addition to practicing good hand hygiene through frequent washing or sanitizing, your best bet is to find places that are less crowded or visit at non-peak hours.
large indoor spaces like convention centres, meeting and event spaces, and movie theatres
continuing to practice physical distancing indoors, especially with an increased gathering limit, is key. the other part of the equation? “it’s important to keep a log of where you were at any given time if you’re going into more congregated spaces,” says dr. chagla. “i think there’s going to be more emphasis on this for contact tracing so that people have a good sense of who’s in the building at a given time.”
facials, beard trims, ear piercing
businesses like hair salons and spas opened in the previous stage, but services tending to the customer’s face — like facials, beard trims and ear piercings — will be able to resume now. during services where you won’t be able to wear a mask, chagla suggests minimizing that time as much as possible and to be conscious of how much you speak. but don’t worry too much about the close contact. “those businesses have to be really aggressive about screening people coming in,” he says. “the risk is generally low as long as things are done very carefully and methodically in that setting.”
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