Is it safe to go camping while coronavirus is spreading? Here’s what experts say
Warm weather has arrived, which means people who have been quarantining for the last three months are itching to go outside.
It’s well understood that your chances of contracting the coronavirus are higher when inside tight, shared spaces such as restaurants and movie theaters, while the outdoors offer fresh air and unlimited space to social distance as you please.
But what about camping? Experts say it’s definitely better than air travel, cruises and theme parks.
“As far as summer activities go, this is least risky from a virus perspective,” Rebecca Katz, director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center, told NPR.
“Always choose outdoors over indoor, always choose masking over not masking and always choose more space for fewer people over a smaller space,” Dr. Emily Landon, a hospital epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist at University of Chicago Medicine, told the outlet.
Here are a few things you should consider before following through with your camping trip.
Do your homework
First things first: Don’t visit a campsite if you have the coronavirus, were exposed to it over the last 14 days or feel sick with symptoms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The agency recommends avoiding crowded parks if they are open. To do this, you should make reservations and purchase permits, firewood, ice and other items such as soap, surface disinfectant, bug spray and paper towels, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Check the park or recreation area’s website for information on bathroom facilities and park trails, and make sure you have your own downloaded or printed maps before you leave your home, the department said.
Being prepared can minimize contact with people outside your home and help you avoid long lines at stores, which might be located in small, remote communities that “often lack adequate healthcare facilities,” according to Outside magazine.
“Don’t travel outside of your local community. If you’re able to abide by the rest of the rules for going outdoors during the pandemic, and have access to legal, open areas to camp within that community, then by all means go camping close to home,” the magazine reported.
“But no, it is not currently responsible to go on a camping trip. And it likely won’t be until we have widespread testing for the disease.”
Prepare to social distance
Camping is all fun and games, especially when nearby groups want to join your campfire, or if you decide to bring the whole family along.
But experts say that’s a big risk. It’s best to spend time with people who live in your home; anyone outside of your quarantine bubble can be an asymptomatic carrier of the coronavirus.
“Only share a tent camper or RV with people from a different household if you can maintain social distancing at all times,” the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said.
The safest route is to set up your campsite at least 50 feet away from the center of other, surrounding campsites if there is no vegetation in between, the department said.
The CDC also recommends avoiding contact sports such as basketball — if a court is nearby — because distance is hard to maintain, especially when sharing equipment.
As usual, social distance yourself while using public bathrooms, pay stations, trails, and other areas where people outside your home may be, experts say. Make sure your have a face mask handy in case you have to be around others.
Beware shared, public spaces
Many camping grounds have public bathroom facilities, picnic tables, laundry rooms and ranger stations that can harbor viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and other bacteria.
Research shows that the coronavirus can live on copper for up to four hours, cardboard for about one day and on plastic and stainless steel for about two to three days, McClatchy News previously reported.
It’s good practice to wipe down any shared items such as tables and door handles with a disinfectant before using them, and to frequently wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, the CDC says.
“We can think of transmission risk with a simple phrase: time, space, people, place,” Dr. William Miller, an epidemiologist at Ohio State University, told NPR.
“The more time you spend and the closer in space you are to any infected people, the higher your risk. Interacting with more people raises your risk, and indoor places are riskier than outdoors,” the outlet reported.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Is it safe to go camping while coronavirus is spreading? Here’s what experts say."
