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If you want to see your best friend and your parents that’s OK - but be sure they all belong to the same pod and follow same rules, and remember there’s more risk involved for everyone as the pod becomes bigger, Maoud says. Since many common activities to do with friends, like going to concerts or bars, aren’t available now, make sure your prospective podmates are people you know you can enjoy the company of without those types of distractions.Īfter all, since your podmates are the only people you’ll be seeing regularly for the foreseeable future, you want to make sure you get along really well. You want to form a pod with people you can have long conversations with and do everyday things with like cooking or playing a board game. Choose people you really likeīefore asking someone if they want to join your pod, think about how you’ll be spending your time together. “One rule is to have a small number of people, because you can control it more. If not, try to limit your pod to just a few people. If you can happily spend the rest of the pandemic seeing just one other person, great. However, taking some precautions can make pods relatively safe: Keep pods small If you’re meeting people indoors, not physically distancing and not wearing masks, the chances of spreading COVID-19 are high if someone in the group happens to be sick without knowing it. While seeing people in-person may be necessary for your mental health, it’s important to note that it’s not without some risk. What’s even more alarming is that data is starting to show that young people with few or no symptoms are now the main demographic spreading the disease to others.
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Chances are low, but it’s still there,” Maoud says. “I’ve seen much younger people who have very bad disease. While it’s less common for younger people to get really sick, the truth is they can still have bad symptoms and even lingering health impacts, and doctors still don’t know why. If you’re younger and live alone, you may think it’s unlikely that you’ll have severe symptoms if you catch COVID-19. That’s because having close contact with one or two people, in a closed social loop, is much safer than having close contact with a bunch of your friends without knowing if they’re meeting with other people, too. Raouf Maoud, a primary care doctor and associate medical director of the Southeast region at UW Neighborhood Clinics, pods are a great way to get that human connection most of us need without putting yourself or others at risk. If, however, you want to see people sometimes, we totally get it.įor Dr. If you live alone and are perfectly content keeping to your household of one, more power to you. While living alone doesn’t automatically mean someone is lonely or depressed (and it's not cool to assume so), things like physical distancing and quarantining can be harder to face by yourself.
#Be time up your pandemic pod how to
Here’s how to form a pod while minimizing risk for everyone involved. Pandemic pods involve making an agreement with someone you care about to meet each other (and only each other) in person. But if you need to see another person from time to time, one safer way to do so is by forming a pandemic pod. If you live alone and can get by with FaceTime chats and Zoom happy hours, that’s safest. However, we know that, despite the risk of infection, seeing a friend or loved one is sometimes needed in order to prevent or remedy mental health struggles. In Washington state, indoor gatherings with people outside your household are restricted until the number of COVID-19 infections starts lowering again.
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The health toll of loneliness is perhaps especially true for people who live alone, just from the simple fact that quarantine for someone with no live-in roommates, partner or family members quickly becomes social isolation.Īnd now that the darker, shorter days of winter have arrived, outdoor gatherings are trickier and the pandemic is ramping up again, the thought of being constantly alone can be even more depressing. Research has actually found that, for some people, prolonged loneliness can be as harmful for health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. If physical distancing has shown us anything, it’s that sometimes not being with other people in person really takes a toll on mental health.