PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — By now, you’re probably very familiar with the term “social distancing.” But staying at home all day, every day can be tough for active children. Many parents wonder if it’s OK to take their kids to a playground to burn off energy. What’s the coronavirus coverage?
The coronavirus has millions of kids cooped up at home. Taking your little ones to a playground might sound like much-needed fun, but is it safe? Experts say while the virus spreads easiest by touching people, it can also linger on hard surfaces, such as plastic and stainless steel, for two to three days.
“If there’s a lot of high touch areas, there could be significant virus there, and certainly there is the potential to pick up the disease that way,” explained Raymond Pontzer, MD, an infectious diseases specialist at UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Also, playground equipment isn’t routinely cleaned or sanitized after each use. Some community playgrounds remain open to the public, while others have closed. If you do choose to let your kids play, have them wash their hands and avoid touching their faces. And only interact with people in your household.
Dr. Pontzer told Ivanhoe, “It’s all about distancing. You want to try to stay six feet away from other people if at all possible when you’re out and about.”
Dr. Pontzer said though the virus can be detected on surfaces for days, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s infectious for that whole time. He said touching surfaces with the virus on it is probably most concerning within the first few hours.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath; Executive Producer; Julie Marks, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: ARE PLAYGROUNDS SAFE?
REPORT: MB #4718
BACKGROUND: A recent study from the National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that the COVID-19 coronavirus can survive up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. Also, this virus can hang out as droplets in the air for up to three hours before they fall. The outbreak of COVID-19 is much larger than the 2002-2003 outbreak of the similar coronavirus outbreak SARS, which infected 8,000 people. As of late March, COVID-19 has surpassed 400,000 infections globally.
(Sources: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND KIDS: The best way to fight the spread of COVID-19 is for everyone to practice social distancing, which involves staying six feet away from others. It can be hard on teens and kids being away from friends, extended family, and social activities. You might set up FaceTime or Skype visits or playdates to help them stay connected. You also can plan family activities, such as taking a walk or a hike or riding bikes. These are great ways to get out and get active without having physical contact.
(Source: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-social-distancing.html)
ARE PLAYGROUNDS SAFE?: Going to the park can be a way to keep kids occupied while schools are closed during the COVID-19 outbreak, as long as they are practicing social distancing. However, you might want to keep kids off of communal equipment, such as jungle gyms and swings. Playground equipment isn’t routinely cleaned or sanitized after each use. If they do go to a playground, make sure they do not touch their face and wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap or use hand sanitizer right after leaving the playground. You will want to check with your local officials to see whether a playground is open to the public or closed due to the outbreak. Even though kids are at a lower risk of getting seriously sick from COVID-19, they can still pass it to older relatives who may be at higher risk.
(Source: Dr. Raymond Pontzer, UPMC Infectious Diseases Specialist)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Courtney Caprara, Public Relations Manager
UPMC
412-647-6190
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