For many, 29 March – the day Covid-19 restrictions around socialising were eased in the UK – was a crucial date in the diary. Six people or two households are now allowed to meet outdoors, including in private gardens. Organised outdoor sporting events and facilities, such as tennis courts and open-air swimming pools, are also open and the “stay at home” rule has been officially lifted, though those who can work from home should continue to do so.
But now that we are able to get out and about, how can we ensure we keep ourselves – and our loved ones – safe? We spoke to the experts to find out.
Q: If I’m displaying symptoms, do I still need to isolate?
“The most important thing is to follow the law, so if you’ve got symptoms you have to self-isolate for 10 days in your home and it’s really important people continue to do this,” says Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge and a member of the UK government Science Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
“There may perhaps be people who think: ‘Well, why can’t I go for a walk outside in the countryside if I’m not going to see anybody?’, and I completely understand that argument. But there are millions of people living in apartments and if they were to venture outside, they’d be sharing corridors and stairwells and touching multiple surfaces. We can’t have one rule for one and another rule for others. It’s about the risks to the wider society and my personal view is that the rules are proportionate and very reasonable. Especially when you compare 10 days of isolation with the lockdowns we’ve already been in – it’s a small ask comparatively.”
Q: Is it really safe to socialise outside?
“When we are outdoors, thinking about the airborne route of transmission, the level of concentration of any virus in our vicinity is much lower and so the risk is lower too,” says Fitzgerald, who also specialises in airflow research. “The amount of outdoor air that’s sweeping away any virus being emanated from a person is enormous, and we can’t begin to practically replicate that kind of environment within an indoor environment.”
Q: Won’t opening the windows have the same effect?
“Opening the windows is great if you’re indoors but it’s nowhere near as good as being outdoors,” says Fitzgerald. “Think about it, when you’re stood outside, it’s very rare that it’s perfectly still – there’s usually a very small wind and when you run the numbers and figure out the volume flux of air passing you that’s not virus-laden, it’s enormous. When you’re outside, there are fewer surfaces for you to touch which, for example, somebody might have coughed on. Surface touching risks are also lower outdoors because things such as the rain and ultraviolet light from the sun can deactivate the virus more easily than in a dark, indoor environment.”
Q: How safe is outdoor swimming or group sports?
“Outdoor sports are relatively low risk but I would encourage people to also think about their overall wellbeing, including mental health, when it comes to the risks you’re exposing yourself to as you enter into society,” says Fitzgerald.
Prof Brooke Rogers OBE, a psychologist and behavioural scientist at King’s College London, says: “When it comes to lowering the risk of the virus, we can never fully de-risk the situation as long as Covid-19 is circulating in our environment – there is no such thing as ‘100% safe’.”
She adds: “This isn’t purely about the virus – we also need to think about the wider impacts of isolation, loneliness and a lack of socialisation. It’s about balancing those risks.”
Q: How can we keep safe as we start to socialise in larger groups?
“One of the challenges as we start seeing friends and family is that it’s incredibly difficult for people to maintain a social distance from loved ones,” says Rogers. “And if you have young children it’s very difficult to explain to them why they’re not allowed to crawl over everyone or play with the other children. If you’re meeting up with another household or group, try to plan it in an environment that is as safe as possible. Have those honest conversations now – people are more willing and likely to stick to plans that are made in advance.”
Q: If we’ve had the vaccine, do the rules still apply?
“The vaccines are amazing and one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of a generation, but they’re not a silver bullet,” says Rogers. “Think about somebody who has had bypass surgery because their diet and exercise were poor. They can have that medical fix, but if they don’t change their behaviours, they’ll never realise their full potential. I see vaccines in the same way – they’re a powerful weapon we can deploy against the virus but they’re only going to reach their full potential if we wrap these other behavioural elements around them.”
Fitzgerald adds: “Clearly, you may well be fine – the risk of you getting ill is much lower [once you’ve had the vaccine] and the risk of getting very ill is also much lower. The risk at which you are going to be a transmitter is thought to be lower as well, but none of these are zero – especially for being a transmitter. That’s why thinking about others is so important. I would urge you to think: ‘Yes, I’m at a lower risk of being a transmitter, but I am still a risk to society and therefore I should still be doing my part.’”
Q: Should we still be wearing face masks and distancing when taking public transport?
“Yes, we absolutely should be, especially as it’s so easy to do – this isn’t a curtailment of your ability to function in life or a significant curtailment on your overall wellbeing,” says Fitzgerald. “Being fastidious about washing your hands and not touching yourself if you’ve been touching surfaces, as well as wearing face coverings and staying socially distant are important. If you’re on public transport and they’ve got windows that open, open them. Think about ‘hands, face, space, replace [fresh air]’ as a general mindset. I would encourage people to get out because this is how society can start functioning again, but be very astute and remember the guidance.”
Q: How can we make our homes safer for visitors when they’re allowed to pass through to gardens?
“Keep the windows open and if you’ve got two bathrooms, have one toilet for guests and one for the household,” suggests Fitzgerald. “If not, can you provide two towels – one for guests, one for others? Ventilating the house before and after your guests have arrived is key – ventilating before they arrive is helpful in case you happen to have an infectious person in your vicinity, therefore reducing the risk to your guests. Ventilating after guests have left is important because if one of them happens to be infectious, this will reduce the risk to your own household.” And remember, it’s not permitted for people to meet indoors until 17 May – when six people or two households will be able to come together.
Q: Is there anything else we should remember?
“While we’re still in this reasonably precarious state, the most important thing is to think: ‘It’s not about me, it’s about others,’” says Fitzgerald. “It’s about the wider community. Certainly in the first lockdown, we got the sense of real selflessness in society and we need to try to remember these measures aren’t just in place to protect you as an individual, it’s about thinking of others. Particularly as we emerge from lockdown – since, the more compliant we are now, the quicker the incident rate is going to come down and the sooner society can start functioning again. So it’s really about trying to get out of this as quickly as we can, which means complying with the rules as much as possible.”
This advertiser content was paid for by the UK government. All together (Hands, face, space and fresh air) is a government-backed initiative tasked with informing the UK about the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information, visit gov.uk/coronavirus
