After months of quarantining and isolating and Zooming, many people are ready to socialize — even from afar — with other humans. Warmer weather has brought a trickle of impromptu socially distanced gatherings, whether driveway drinks or alley happy hours. Apartment dwellers have sought out park benches to meet for coffee. Faced with job losses, loneliness and the collective anxiety of a world turned upside down, many of us are getting desperate for some meaningful interaction with friends. But is it possible to party in a pandemic?
Many people are already seeking out company in their backyards and neighborhoods, and some experts say it can be done — with plenty of caveats, of course. “It’s important in pandemic times to not think about ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ — it’s all about levels of risk,” says Donald Schaffner, professor of food microbiology at Rutgers University. “Anything you do poses a risk, whether it’s grocery shopping or going for a walk.” To read the full story.