Health officials issue tips for safer Super Bowl gatherings as COVID numbers drop
File Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY — Area health officials are recommending that Super Bowl watchers avoid unnecessary contact and having too many players on the field (or in the living room) when gathering to watch Sunday’s big game as local COVID-19 numbers continue to move in the right direction.
The warning comes as the spike of new COVID-19 cases that came after Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays is showing some signs of slowing. Officials with Phoebe Putney Health System said Wednesday the number of COVID patients at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany had fallen to 87, while the number at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus was at 21.
“With case numbers just starting to show some recovery from the record high numbers resulting from holiday gatherings, now is not the time to let our guard down,” said Dr. Charles Ruis, the Southwest Health District’s director.
Dougherty County was listed in the red zone, the highest category for infection rates, in the latest report issued on Monday by the Georgia Department of Public Health. Counties in that category have case rates of higher than 10 percent of population and more than 2,000 residents per 100,000 who tested positive through the polymerase chain reaction (CPR) test over the prior 14 days.
Lee, Mitchell, Terrell and Worth counties also were listed in the red zone in the report.
District Health is recommending that football fans not take part in large watch parties in order to reduce the risk of spreading or catching the novel coronavirus.
The safest way to enjoy the game is at home with attendance limited to those who live in the same household.
For individuals who choose to attend gatherings against this advice, health officials suggest watching — and engaging in the traditional game-time snacking — outdoors, wearing cloth face masks of two or more layers and maintaining a distance of 6 feet from fellow fans who are not members of the household.
Other tips include avoiding self-serve and buffet food spreads and bringing individual food items including drinks, cups, utensils and condiment packets, preferably single-use and/or disposable. The use of touchless garbage containers also is recommended.
Residents in Dougherty County can register for a drive-through test at the Albany Exchange Club Fairgrounds by visiting mako.exchange/splash/GAmakotesting. Those in the other 13 counties covered by the health district can schedule tests by visiting covid19.dph.ga.gov or calling (229) 352-6567.
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