How to Keep Safe When Family and Friends Visit

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COURT HOUSE – Cape May County’s nursing director, Natalie Sendler, cautions folks about a lurking coronavirus as summer, the county’s peak tourism season, gets underway. She discussed how to prepare for businesses reopening, family and friends gathering at the shore, upcoming graduation parties, and other activities that have been on hold due to the ongoing pandemic.

“Many people are still leary of traveling to the shore or socializing with family or friends, so you have to weigh your risks, especially if you are part of the vulnerable population,” said Natalie Sendler. “If you are sick, stay home. You may be disappointed, but wait a day or two if you have a tickle in your throat or don’t feel like yourself to see if it passes or turns into something more. Use common sense.”

How to Protect Yourself

As the county and state gradually reopen, many residents who have been isolating for over two months may find themselves in “need of connection” and ready to open their doors to family and friends as in past summers, but how do you protect yourself and family members when inviting “outsiders” within your circle?

“Wear a face mask,” Sendler said. “Keep 6 feet apart as much as possible, or limit your contact to less than 10 minutes if you can’t stay 6 feet apart or wear a mask.”

“Even inside your own household,” she added.

Sendler said she keeps a stock of disposal face masks in her home for visitors. Over Memorial Day weekend, she said her neighbors, who live in Pennsylvania and visited their shore home for the first time since the pandemic, hosted a fire pit.

“We sat 6 feet apart,” Sendler said. “People need that human connection, we’re grateful for those little opportunities that we have. We were outside, though, which is better than being within a confined space indoors.”

Virus Droplets Travel

According to Dr. Edward Lifshitz, the state health department’s communicable disease service medical director, the coronavirus travels through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs, speaks, breathes, shouts or sings.

“That’s why we are asking people to stay 6 feet apart because, for the most part, the virus doesn’t travel that far,” Lifshitz said, during a May 28 COVID-19 regular press briefing.

Droplets land on surfaces, he noted, which is why cleaning of surfaces is strongly encouraged.

“It’s not known how long they last, but the virus floats through the air and the closer together you are, the higher the risk,” he explained. “Indoor the air is not being circulated like it is outdoors with a breeze, which is why it’s even more important to social distance or wear a face mask.”

He added the face mask should cover both the nose and mouth areas, ensuring the virus can’t travel through the air from either opening.

Test Before a Family Gathering?

Because the virus presents itself with a wide range of symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention Control (CDC) – fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, a new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea – between two to 14 days after exposure, and many people are asymptomatic, testing before a visit may not indicate whether you have the virus before making that family event.

Sendler said, “It usually takes a few days to get the results, and rapid testing is not always accurate. There are a lot of false-negative results, false-positives, as well, and it’s a snapshot in time. You could test negative today, but positive tomorrow because you are asymptomatic.”

“I’ve also heard there are more false-negatives with the saliva testing,” she added, “which could be there’s not enough virus in the person at the time of the test. The same could be true if you take your temperature; you could be asymptomatic at the time.”

“The CDC and Food and Drug Administration need to look at more accurate testing,” she noted. “But until there is a vaccine, you should wear a face mask, practice social distancing, weigh your risks.”

Testing has been part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan to reopen, calling for at least 20,000 people being tested daily by the end of May, which has been achieved.

Nasal Swab Testing Most Accurate

For now, Sendler said the most accurate form of testing is nasal testing, the nasopharyngeal swab. This involves inserting a 6-inch-long swab into the cavity between the nose and mouth for 15 seconds and rotating it several times. The swabbing is then repeated on the other side of the nose to make sure enough material is collected. The swab is then inserted into a container and sent to a lab for testing.  

Anti-body testing is still controversial, she continued, and also shouldn’t be relied upon if deciding whether to attend a family gathering or not. “We are seeing more positives with the antibody testing, but you shouldn’t rely on that,” Sendler said. “They are still learning about how long the antibodies protect you from getting the virus again, or if you can get it more than once.”

Testing is available at the Urgent Care Clinics in Wildwood, Marmora and Court House, Cape Regional Medical Center, and Upper Township’s CVS, 2078 Route 9 South. Sendler said in most cases, the testing is pre-screened by appointment, and may or may not be covered by an individual’s insurance plan. More information on testing can be found at covid19.nj.gov/.

Involve Visitors in Keeping Home Safe

If you find yourself hosting family or friends who are not part of your regular household, Sendler suggested involving them in maintaining a safe home.

“Emphasize hand hygiene. Ask them to help wipe down doorknobs, use disinfectant, have towels and tissues around, so if someone needs it, it’s readily available,” she said.

“This is new for everyone, so everyone from the local to federal level is looking at reopening cautiously,” she noted.

Gov. Murphy indicated May 28 that he may require face masks as businesses open, but said he wasn’t prepared yet to announce that. For now, group gatherings are limited to 25 or less, as well, and that may also change as the state reopens.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Sendler said she saw many visitors keeping their distance and wearing face masks, but mentioned some weren’t.

“If you are on the boardwalk, you are moving along passing each other and not standing next to anyone for a long period of time,” she said. “It’s better to be outdoors than confined inside. It will be interesting to see how the numbers look two weeks after Memorial Day to see if we have to close some things or limit activities based on what is found.”

In the end, Sendler said her best advice is to continue wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing, even at home.

“Why wouldn’t you?” she asked.

To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.