Calgary,
04
September
2020
|
13:00
America/Denver

PSA: The safer backyard hangout

Tips for safe gatherings

The safer backyard hang

You want to see your pals for the last bit of summer we get in Calgary? Totally get it. However, a lot of transmission of COVID-19 has been happening within social settings. It is important to do things differently this year to make sure your friends and family go home healthy and safe from a backyard gathering. Here are things you can do to make your backyard hangout as safe as possible:

  • Limit your numbers. Tightening up your social circle to close friends and family helps ensure that you can manage taking extra precautions, as well as limiting your own exposure.
  • Keep the party outdoors. It is much safer to gather outdoors, where there is less potential for transmission.
  • Practice physical distance. Set lawn chairs up 2 metres or six feet apart, before everyone arrives or mark spaces on the lawn with house objects to show guests where they can safely sit.
  • Supply the sanitizer. Have sanitizer in your bathroom, near eating areas or anywhere where guests are congregating.
  • This year, make it BYO. Have your guests bring their own food and drink to avoid communal food tables and utensils, which can be a source of virus transmission.

If you do plan to feed your guests:

  • Avoid buffets. Have one person serve the food vs. a buffet option to reduce the amount of people touching serving dishes.
  • Ditch the communal snacks. Choose instead individual portions like individually wrapped fruit snacks or bags of chips.
  • Do your own dishes. Tack up a bag where guests can compost their own paper plates and napkins to avoid having to touch everyone’s dishes. If you choose to use reusable dishes, have one person gather them up and clean your hands thoroughly afterwards.
  • Clean as you go, and after they go. Plan a few quick clean-ups during your gathering, having disinfectant handy to clean doorknobs and table surfaces. Once your guests leave, wipe down any areas guests visited.

For more ways to help limit the spread of COVID-19 visit Calgary.ca/COVID19.