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Is It Safe to ‘Quaranteam’?
The health and ethical implications of isolating with a tight-knit circle of friends
Kari Craig, who lives in Richmond, Virginia, says she recently made plans to hang out with a friend and the friend’s significant other in their backyard. “If I feel comfortable wearing a mask to the grocery store then I should feel even safer in a [private] space like someone’s backyard,” she says. “Our plan is [for me] to literally BYO everything — my own chair, alcohol, cups, snacks, etc… I’m going to take the same precaution of constant hand-washing and mask-wearing, but may also incorporate things like changing clothes and shoes immediately when entering the apartment.”
As spring weather settles in throughout most of the country, many people are wondering if they can do as Kari plans to — see their friends after nearly two months of mandated stay-at-home and social distancing orders. Of course, folks have already been arranging socially distanced park meetups or setting up folding chairs in the front yard or driveway to enjoy a beer with their buddy, while sitting six feet apart. And that kind of careful behavior has been more or less accepted and is considered relatively low risk.
But now, people are wondering whether it might be ok to push the line and relax those safety measures even more. Is it safe or ethical to form “quaranteams” or “Covid-bubbles,” which means going to the homes of a select number of friends — who have, like yourself, been isolating for the past months––to have dinners and movie nights like we used to have? And if so, what’s the best way to go about it?
Assessing the risk of “quaranteaming”
Changing our social distancing habits isn’t a matter of flipping a switch. You (presumably) won’t go from not leaving your home except to buy groceries on Monday to hosting a kegger at your place on Friday night. Figuring out whom to see and in what situations is complicated, and it depends on a number of factors: Where you live, what your living situation looks like, and how committed you are to certain restrictions when you’re in the company of your friends.
The first, and most important, thing to consider is your household’s risk level. If you, or anyone you live with…
