Tips to camp safely during COVID
After months of being cooped up at home, you are no doubt itching to get back to the great outdoors. However, with no sign of a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases and the increased emphasis by health officials on maintaining physical distance and other safety measures, you need to keep yourself and others safe if you decide to plan a weekend camping trip. Here are some tips.
One of the most obvious things to bring along on your camping trip would be plenty of hand sanitizer, disposable face masks, disposable gloves, hand soap, wet wipes instead of toilet paper, and garbage bags. You'll want to make a habit of washing or sanitizing your hands every time you enter the campsite and before handling food and insist everyone in your group does the same. The disposable gloves will come in handy when you need to touch heavy use areas like garbage lids or public restroom doors. It is also recommended that you set up your own handwashing station using a water jug with a sprout and position it at the edge of a table or a stand for easy access. You should also bring Ziploc bags to safely store the used gloves and masks so that you may safely dispose of them when you get back home.
Depending on the campsite location and people around, you would want to set up campsite boundaries and try your best to ensure that your kids stay within them. When you hit the trail, the same rules apply with regard to social distancing norms and hand sanitizing practices. Try to get an early start to avoid crowds and maintain at least 6 feet from other groups.
Be smart while planning the camping trip, try to make reservations in advance and not leave it till the last moment. Buy permits, firewood and ice, among other things, online or by phone well in advance. It is also recommended that you only include people in your 'social bubble' to tag along with you for your camping trip. Especially with kids around, it would be a good idea to avoid contact sports.
The following are a few other things you should avoid as well -
Singing around the campfire - this could aerosolize the virus and increase the potential risk of spread even beyond the campsite bubble.
Smoke from a campfire - this can make people cough and spread the virus around, so avoid crowding closely around the campfire.
Shared food - can be a huge problem especially when there's a larger group.
Above all, it is also highly recommended that you keep wearing a face mask even when you are outdoors in groups to minimize potential virus spread.
These steps may seem excessive to some and a dampener to many, but we live in unprecedented times and we must be responsible and collectively work toward winning the battle against this horrible virus.
Be safe, be responsible.