Tips for Americans from afar on how to keep coronavirus in checking holidays this weekend

Here are some tips from abroad about how Americans can move forward.

Don’t party like 1999

In South Korea, celebrated for providing a model response to the virus, reopening a nightclub in the capital, Seoul, caused a surge in cases in May. City was forced to close all the bars and clubs soon after.

The difference is that South Korea has a very controlled virus, and has a very smooth test-and-tracking system, so that the authorities can contact most of the people affected and contain many cases.

Plans for reopening vary from country to country, but overall, America has reopened much faster than affected countries in Europe. In England, for example, pubs are only set to start reopening on Saturdays, 15 weeks after they are ordered to close and because the UK curve is clearly flat. You can no longer say that about curves in the US, and blades in many countries have long been opened.

So delaying visiting indoor places with many people this weekend will no doubt help prevent the spread of the virus. In many states, crowds are limited to under 100, or 50, or even 10, and some have forced bars to close again.

Wear the mask

But the waves turned around. Health experts now agree that masks are very helpful, especially when the virus is widespread in the community. WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommend the use of masks in public spaces.

Several studies have shown that wearing face masks is effective, but this has not been reviewed by colleagues and no data is available on how successful they have been in this pandemic.

Outside of Asia, Germany is one of the fastest countries to wear mandatory national masks, while much of the world is still debating its efficacy. There are many reasons for Germany’s success in keeping its mortality rate low and slowing infection, but at least part of its success is attributed to wearing face masks.

Even Trump’s most loyal supporters, including Vice President Mike Pence, began wearing face masks. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered most people in the state to cover themselves in public, because the state’s experience was the worst surge in the number of infections in the country. Other states, such as California, have also issued public service announcements that encourage people to use them.

Test if you think you should do it

At the start of an outbreak, it is almost impossible to be tested in the US unless you have been hospitalized. That has changed, and despite obstacles, the test is more accessible than ever.

President Trump has made the argument that the country must reduce testing to maintain the number of cases. WHO has reiterated that testing is the key to keeping the virus under control. The places that have had some of the most successful responses – South Korea, Germany, Iceland, New Zealand and Australia – among others, have all been tested at a high level.

The CDC’s suggestion is that if you have symptoms, you should contact your health practitioner and ask if a test is recommended. Even some people without symptoms must be tested in certain circumstances.

As is the case in Florida, for example, White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx urged all Florida residents who have attended mass meetings in the past four weeks to be tested, even if they have no symptoms.

Quarantine when requested (and sometimes even when not asked)

Extensive testing goes hand in hand with an effective search, track and quarantine system.

The idea is that anyone who has been in contact with an infected person recently will be notified by the authorities and asked to quarantine, usually for 14 days. That means that if you have been infected, even if you have no symptoms, chances are you will not pass it on to anyone outside your home.

The US as a whole is struggling to get enough contact tracers in place to have an effective and working system, as are several other countries, including the United Kingdom. The CDC aims to have 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 people in the country.

That is particularly concerning for the eight states which are hotspots for Covid-19: Nevada (13), Florida (7), Arizona (5), Idaho (14), Texas (11), Tennessee (9), Georgia (2) and South Carolina (8).

If your country has not yet created an effective contact tracking system, there is no reason you cannot request a test if you suspect you have made contact with an infected person.

In the meantime, it might make sense to keep your Fourth of July plan simple, and continue to practice keeping social distance until the US has the virus in control.