Life during this pandemic does not have to be hard, but it does come with some restrictions and a lot of sacrifices with a touch of creativity. We all need to survive this with sanity and we all long for community. You must have heard of the term "social bubble" all during this year of uncertainty. What does it really mean? How do we do it? Is it really feasible to belong to a social bubble and stay safe?
Onto the second wave of this pandemic in most parts of the world, here in America we are bracing harder times due to the long term effect of this Coronavirus. Exactly a mayhem! Everyone is just in panic mode and still others (mostly small business owners) are going into fight mode just to be able to save their only means of survival. How can we actually cope during this second wave? What else can we do to fight this unseen enemy? What else do we have on the line that has not been affected by this pandemic? Our health, family, school, work, business, social affairs, sports, church service and activities, and many other things (that I have somewhat forgotten now....argh!) things we used to do before that were not able to participate in now.
Then out of the blue a lot of new ideas, new things and new ways to live are being introduced to us in order to survive this pandemic and keep our sanity at the same time. "SOCIAL BUBBLE" is now part of our vocabulary, our social norms and a choice of a new way to live. Have you heard how this works? It is actually more than what it is.
This social bubble is a way they are trying to push in order for people to be able to move around and still socialize within a very limited population. As defined by Gideon Lichfield on a podcast he said that SOCIAL BUBBLE is "basically a group of people who have decided to treat each other as safe, meaning they're agreeing to be in normal contact together, not take any precautions with each other but take precautions with the outside world." He is gearing towards socializing as normal but isolating in minimum. It is like living like normal (meaning as before) within this exclusively group (your bubble) but doing your precautions when socializing outside of this bubble. How can this be possible?
I listened to this podcast and read the article from NPR entitled "The Pros and Cons of Social Bubble" about this author who is actually a single man who, out of fear of going into depression, decided to make a pact with a family whom he is friends with. A pact or a contract as he describes it because both parties have to agree with the terms and conditions of doing life together in a social bubble. You may ask what 'terms and conditions' apply here? Don't they sound too "business-y"?
I am talking about Gideon Lichfield. He and his friends agreed to do the essentials in preventing from catching the virus like using mask whenever they go out, washing hands, washing their grocery, social distancing with other people if they ever need to go out. He said that the most important thing when you enter a pact to be in a "social bubble" is TRUST. Open communication and transparency are also very helpful. You will need to put down some of your personal barriers when you enter into this contract as you will have to be able to share everything going on in your life that concerns you and your bubble getting exposed to other people from the outside world. At the same time one has to be vocal about asking the hard questions to the other party in order to be sure that everyone is doing their part in the pact. Otherwise it won't work.
I have heard someone said that our elderly population will most likely die of isolation and depression rather than the virus, how true can that be. We see this everyday and as this pandemic and quarantine/lockdown continues, isolation is taking a toll not just with the elderly population even with the younger generation.
One study according to USA Today says that you have to "limit your interactions with different age groups". A household with multi-generational members could be more at risk than nuclear ones. So when entering a social bubble pact it would be wiser to do it with people mostly the same age and lifestyle as you are.
When you enter into a social bubble you must also limit your movement and interactions with basically the same people in the group. As much as possible you will have to refrain from meeting another group or new people without social distancing or the usual facial covering as this will increase your chances of infection.
"The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading." - CDC's Considerations for Events and Gatherings
How big can a bubble be? Generally a group of 10 or smaller is a standard small group in an outdoor setting. USA Today article on "Why Social Bubbles Work to Curb Viruses and Protect the Population" said this "The bubble could be two or three families who limit their social contacts to each other or even a group of co-workers who limit their out-of-office socializing to each other." Remember, the number matters. It is the first thing you consider when you are in a social bubble. The lesser number of people mingling the lesser the potential for chances of spread.
Doing life together with your most intimate friends or neighbors and keeping it at that number, with minimal interactions to people outside your bubble, can be a very effective tool in minimizing the spread of CoViD-19 without sacrificing your social life. It will be hard, but it is definitely doable.
The main downside of the social bubble is so well represented by this statement: "The group is only as safe as its least safe member." Simply put it, if one member gets the infection, everybody else will surely get it that is because you are closely knit together within your social bubble.
What are some quesions we need to keep in mind? Ask them questions like the following:
Are you interacting with other outside family members or friends?
Are you venturing on outings that may boost your exposure risk?
Have you sent children back to daycare?
When you are out, are you wearing masks?
Healthline shares some ideas on how we can still do things outside and yet keep safe and true to our social bubble. Three basic suggestions-
DRIVE-IN ANYTHING. Drive-in movies; drive-by concerts; drive-through fast food windows; drive through banking; curbside pick-up served straight to the car trunk. Always remember, the lesser people we interact with the lesser the spread.
LOOK FOR LOOK OUT POINTS. Avoid the crowded vista points, instead find those open, large areas where your group can enjoy and still be isolated. Taking a joy ride apparently is the best for your pod. By the way, picnic outside is way better than dining inside a crowded restaurant. If you plan to go to the beach, do not go where the crowds are.
EMBRACE YOUR BACKYARD. There is no place like home, and yes the backyard is an extension of our home! Explore your outdoors and work something new. Invite your social pod to join you or even find that quiet place in a corner of your backyard. Encourage your kids to play outside. Barbeque on a nice day, s'mores and more on a cold day. My favorite is sitting on a chair and reading my book flooded with the outdoor noise of birds chirping, planes flying over or people walking by. What could be better.
I do hope I have shed a bit of light into this dimmer world we are living in. Why we do these things now will hopefully find a better explanation in our immediate future. Now that the vaccines are out, the decision is left in your hands - whether to let this unseen enemy continue to run as down or will we fight together by trenches and get vaccinated.
We might have friends who are more restrictive and isolated than we are. We might not be as disciplined as others but we all need to respect each other. Respect each other's decision. Respect each other's space. Grace! Grace! Grace!
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