Masks... distancing... hygiene... oh my! We seem to be getting the idea that this is what we're supposed to be doing, even if not everyone is on board and it can be hard to remember all the time. But what else is there? It can be confusing as we try to resume some semblance of normal activities, whether that's reopening schools or holding community events. It may be helpful for people as they look at their own family get togethers and even bigger events, like weddings that may have been pushed off until now. How do we thread the needle between staying locked down on a personal level and giving up on mitigation and just doing things totally like normal, risks be damned? There is a middle way!

Here are some suggestions based on best practices in circulation for events right now.  Events run by public entities have been happening locally and people are following these:  

• Requiring masks, 
• Enforcing distancing, 
• Providing extra hygiene opportunities,
• Keeping total attendance numbers contained such that these measures can be effectively enforced,
• Opting for outdoor venues whenever possible (20x greater risk of transmission indoors) 
• Reminding people to screen themselves for fever or other symptoms and to stay home is showing any, 
• Keeping sign-in logs with attendee names and contact information to assist with contact tracing if needed (may be destroyed after 2 weeks), and
• Recommending people consider isolating themselves entirely for two weeks following and looking into getting tested (at 5, 9, and 12 days out) -- should they choose not to do this, they should be extra assiduous with masking, distancing, and hygiene for those two weeks and isolate from any vulnerable family/household members.  
• Being clear about these guidelines and communicating them in advance, during, and throughout consistently. Depending on the size of the gathering, signage might be helpful in addition to telling people.

Some of these may be new to you. But if you are planning a get together that's more than just a few people in your backyard, this may be useful to keep in mind.

Another good resource is this risk calculator which gives a live estimate of the likelihood of having an attendee who is currently infected for a gathering of a given size in a specific county. It uses data from all over the country and you can zoom in right here, too. Or, if you prefer a chart instead, check the PA Department of Health's Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard where you can check the incidence rate and test positivity numbers for your county. Ideally you'd be looking for incidence rate below 10/100k/7 days and test positivity below 5%, which would be considered low transmission. Up to 100/100k/7 days and/or positivity up to 10% would be moderate transmission. And numbers above either of those levels would be considered high in which case definitely consider rescheduling!

In order to make some of these things happen, it can take a little advance effort. For organizations like the Campus Theatre and the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership and Riverstage Community Theater, it means stocking up on masks and hand sanitizer and signs giving people reminders for the ground rules for their events. The River Town Team has also been helping out by marking the park picnic circles in Hufnagle and some discussion group circles in other areas (like at Lewisburg Landing). You may also have seen people spacing chairs out widely or blocking access to some fixed seating in order to ensure spacing.

The Susquehanna Valley Young Professionals retooled their entire late summer outdoor outing in order to be more COVID-safe. They set up the Going the (Social) Distance Bike Ramble. Rather than getting together all at once for a group ride, they created a route, with some nice partner businesses as potential stops along the way and invited people to do the ride any time in the course of September. If you are on the route each weekend, you may catch site of the GSVCC YP and Walk It! Bike It! tables with some giveaways and also bike ramble tshirts for sale. Check out the description on fb to see how you can enter a selfie on the route to win prizes each week.

There are lots of ways to respond to the pandemic, some more productive than others. Time marches on and special events crop up on the calendar regardless of the public health context. As you prepare for your special days, we recommend you review these basic principles for COVID-safe event planning and get creative as you incorporate them!