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NOTE: The following information was published May 22, 2020. For current COVID-19 information, visit LVHN.org/COVID-19.
We get it – you want to get out in the sunshine and enjoy a picnic with your besties (or at this point, even frenemies). But in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, certain traditions need to be rethought so that you can have fun without risking infection from the coronavirus – or a food-borne germ.
While not recommended, if you are having a few family members over for a picnic, take some extra precautions, such as follow social distancing (position lawn chairs at least 6 feet apart), wear face masks and don’t share utensils.
Here are some suggestions for a COVID-conscious picnic:
Do:
Picnic in your backyard or on the patio. If a few family members who don’t live with you join you for the picnic, try to avoid having them come inside your home and practice social distancing outside.
Don’t:
Picnic in a crowded park. Avoiding crowds helps protect you from exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Do:
Picnic with your family or those who live with you. But if any of your picnickers aren’t a member of your immediate household, place lawn chairs at least 6 feet away from each other and don’t share utensils.
Don’t:
Picnic with friends, frenemies or strangers. There is no way to know who may have been exposed to COVID-19. As much as possible, limit your contact with others so that you don’t pick up the coronavirus.
Do:
Wear a mask. To protect others when you head to the grocery store to pick up items for your picnic, remember wearing a cloth mask when you're in public helps protect those around you.
Don't:
Expose yourself to unnecessary risk. Wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer and social distancing in public helps protect everyone. Consider grocery pick-up or delivery to reduce your risk.
Do:
Bring hand sanitizer or have access to a source of clean water to wash your hands. This is especially important to do before eating or after handling any raw meat that you plan to grill.
Don’t:
Handle food if you haven’t cleaned your hands properly.
Do:
Keep cold foods cold and cooked foods hot to reduce risk for food poisoning. Be sure to use an insulated cooler and ice packs to help keep perishable food at a safe temperature. Bring a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat or fish that you cook.
Don’t:
Eat food that has been sitting out too long. A rule of thumb provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Don’t eat food that’s been sitting out for longer than two hours (or after one hour if the outdoor temperature is 90° F).
Do:
Wear sunscreen. It’s an easy way to protect your skin from damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Don’t:
Skip the sunscreen because it’s cloudy. Even on a cloudy day, UV rays from the sun can damage your skin, which is a risk for skin cancer.