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Will Super Bowl Sunday Be a Superspreader Event?

It’s an American tradition – Super Bowl Sunday.

This year, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Like so much of life, the Super Bowl is different this year, too. A Super Bowl stadium is usually packed with fans. This year, though, only 25,000 people will be allowed in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Sure, people want to have a Super Bowl party and have friends over in a pandemic. But is it safe? Even if it is outdoors?

Some medical experts fear it could become COVID-19 Superspreader Sunday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) even released guidelines about the Super Bowl this week. The CDC recommends watching the game virtually with friends or outdoors with very few people.

Experts fear that, like the Christmas holiday surge of COVID-19 cases, the United States could see an uptick in cases over the next two weeks because of Super Bowl parties.

Unlike recent holidays that could be hosted outside, people usually gather around a television indoors to watch the Super Bowl. People outside of households also gather, and eat, cheer and scream — unmasked. Studies show the virus can spread from people singing, cheering and talking loudly.

If you choose to attend a party, make sure the host is having it outdoors, including the television screen, or go to a restaurant with an outdoor patio.

When venturing out any time, remember to wear a mask, stay six feet away from people who do not live in your house, and wash your hands frequently.

But the best solution? Skip the party this year so that you can enjoy a great Super Bowl Sunday in 2022 when more Americans have been vaccinated, and hopefully, the virus is a distant memory.

 

 

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