By a Bonnie, Advice Columnist
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on many individuals worldwide. As the warmer weather and summer months approach, it is crucial for people to reinvent what their summer could look like while remaining mindful that the pandemic is still very alive in the U.S.
In the U.S., there have been about 556,000 deaths related to COVID-19 and about 30.9 million cases of it. Another statistic to recognize is that there have been 132 million cases and 2.87 million deaths internationally. The numbers appear grim, but increased vaccination amongst the masses causes escalating hope.
Hope does not mean that all precautions should be thrown out the window.
According to cdc.gov, there are various ways individuals can protect themselves.
These protocols have been reiterated numerous times, however, it is always helpful to remind people to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth, practice social distancing by staying six feet away from others, receive the vaccine when it is readily available to you, wash your hands with soap and water, utilize hand sanitizer and avoid crowded and poorly ventilated areas.
Nonetheless, people are getting impatient from quarantining and lockdowns. It has been over a year since the pandemic struck the U.S. and people want to their normal lives. Although annual summer events such as concerts, festivals and some vacations may not fit into the CDC recommended guidelines, there are many activities people can still participate in to get out of the house and enjoy life.
One way to have a happy, healthy summer is to revisit nature. This could be in the form of fishing, hiking or taking a stroll in your neighborhood or local park. These previous activities can all be done alone or socially distanced to prevent the spread of germs.
However, nature’s calling is not for every individual.
As more people become vaccinated, more places are opening up and relaxing some guidelines.
Another option for a summer activity would be to invite someone to grab a coffee, brunch or just sit down at a restaurant. This provides the normalcy people are after by reinventing a pre-pandemic environment. Therefore, it may be time to check in with that friend you have not seen in a year and invite that person for an afternoon ice cream.
As fewer restrictions occur, outdoor dining can become a great option for people. For even safer measures, you and the individual could schedule to be tested before meeting to prevent further spread.
If you are running out of ideas on how to defeat boredom, Pinterest can be a great resource to spark inspiration and creativity.
The image-based social media app has many DIY projects and games that people can scroll through to see what they want to try out. Not all activities may work out the way you want, but that is the fun in trying. Reversely, a new DIY game or project could turn into a new favorite pastime.
An option many people go for in the summer is traveling. Although it is not necessarily recommended unless for medical, occupation or emergency purposes, people can feel safer if they choose to travel as vaccinations spread – hopefully faster than the virus.
It is important to practice all CDC guidelines while traveling and check to see how COVID-19 is in the area you are looking to travel to.
To avoid flying and thus to avoid close contact with others, people could plan a road trip to various spots in the U.S. It could be a day trip, a weekend getaway or an extensive road trip.
There are many pre-planned road trip ideas already available on the web. If this sounds like an idea you would want to try, research various mapped out road trips that would fit your needs.
The pandemic is still very much alive and people need to recognize this while entering the summer months. It is important to have fun but to also stay safe, healthy and mindful of others.
bonavent@sbu.edu
