Dangerous or safe? Travelling, partying, vacationing during the epidemic

School is slowly ending, and people are getting ready for the upcoming summer season. Unfortunately, we cannot say that this summer will be similar to the previous ones (festivals, parties, concerts, etc.) because the coronavirus epidemic turned the world upside down. Nevertheless, the sun will shine, the temperature will reach 30 Celsius at least, and everyone will use the good weather to their advantage. The most important thing is we constantly need to learn and adjust to new restrictions to keep ourselves and others safe. 

Index reported that getting infected and the severity of the infection happens on a different level to everyone. Some might get the disease, but there will be people who will show no symptoms at all until the end of the epidemic. These factors are influenced by our home and working environment, whether we smoke, and the number of people we meet daily. In the following months, we will experience that the activities we would like to do – even a simple garden party – have risks, and we need to be prepared. 

Travelling abroad during the summer season must be the riskiest, and informing ourselves about the country we would like to visit needs to be the primary task for every traveller. 

What kind of risks do several summer activities have? Are we safe? Let us find out in the following summery where the news portal ranked the most popular summer activities regarding their risk factor.

Garden party

Whether we go to visit somebody or people are coming to our place, everyone must keep the 1.5-metre distance from each other. It is advised to wear face masks, even if we are just sitting at a table with safe distance, and not to share our food, drink, forks, knives, and spoons. Everyone should bring their food and drink to the garden party along with all the necessary equipment. With these measures, the risk of having or attending a garden party is either low or minimum.  

Restaurants

From May 29, Friday, every restaurant in the country is allowed to welcome guests inside the building and not just on their terraces. There has not been any case of getting infected by food, which means that eating out is safe. The risks come from the fact that people are close to each other, they laugh, and they speak for long hours in an indoor place. Furthermore, air conditioning does not mean that the virus cannot spread across the air. In China, one person infected three families at a restaurant a few months ago.

Read alsoFive cool places in Budapest to start your first day at after quarantine

Wearing face masks is waiters’ and every other workers’ primary safety measure. If seats are available outside the terrace, it is advisable to choose them. Salt, pepper, and sugar containers must not be on the table, instead, restaurants need to serve them in packets. Tables must be sanitised constantly, and guests need to have the opportunity to wash their hands before, during, and after eating. The risk of visiting a restaurant is either medium or high.

Swimming (beaches, swimming pools)

Social distancing, outdoor swimming pools, and beaches – the three completely safe options. It has been proven that water cannot spread the virus, especially swimming water that contains chlorine. It is advisable to bring our food and drink to avoid standing in a line before buffets. Avoid public showers, dressing rooms, and try to arrive in the morning or late in the afternoon when these places are not that crowded. The risk of visiting swimming pools and beaches is low.

Wedding, funeral, birthday party

These events make people emotional and create an aching desire to hug and kiss other people. But under any circumstances, do not. Holding ceremonies outdoors is safer, but the risk means that many people from different ages attend, from young children to our grandparents who do not want to miss this occasion. If these events cannot be postponed, try to invite a limited number of guests, wear face masks, and keep the distance. The risk of these events is either medium or high.

Vacation, camping

Bringing your food, drink, clothes, towels, tents, soap, etc. is the new trend of the following months and the safest way to enjoy your vacation. Do not forget to bring face masks, sanitisers, and gloves with you. Do not travel if you have some kind of respiratory disease. The risk of vacation and camping is low. 

Hotels

Meeting other people at a hotel is inevitable, but hotels and accommodations consider safety measurements their priority. Try not to stay in crowded places (reception, lobby, bar, etc.) for a long time, sanitise the room key, remote control, taps, and every object you touch more than once a day. All the hotels must change their restaurant services and hire waiters to bring meals to guests, or you can try to eat in your room. The risk of hotels is either low or medium. 

Festivals, congresses, marches, markets

These are the most dangerous places. From dance and music festivals to the flower carnival in Debrecen, all of these events and places have the highest risk of spreading the infection. Do not visit or attend them under any circumstances. 

Discos, clubs, concerts

An explanation is probably not needed: at discos and clubs, people stand close to each other, they move, and their breathing is fast, spreading the disease quicker. At concerts, massive crowds increase the risk of getting infected. Do not visit or attend them under any circumstances.  

Cinema, theatre, religious events

Indoor events remain dangerous and risky for the upcoming period. The only solution is to open outdoor cinemas, theatres, and to bring religious services into the churches’ gardens. Everyone must wear face masks, and only a limited number of people can attend. At religious events, singing and loud praying must be forbidden.

Using public restrooms

The solution is using your common sense. If the restroom is dirty everywhere, do not go in, same goes for when it is crowded. Touch taps, buttons, doors in gloves or with a paper towel in your hand. Luckily, Budapest and every other Hungarian city try to sanitise and clean these places as often as possible. The risk of public restrooms is either low or medium. 

Hairdresser

The riskiest job in the world during an epidemic, some experts state. The hairdresser and the guest must wear a face mask. Do not talk to each other unless it is necessary and arrive at the exact time and not earlier to spend the shortest time at the salon. 

Exercising

Visiting gyms is not recommended yet, instead, try to do outdoor sports, preferably alone and not with a group of people. 

• Coronavirus
• Coronavirus in Hungary

Featured image: MTI/Nemes János

Source: www.index.hu