The promising news of an effective coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine these past few weeks has been encouraging to all. The world is no doubt feeling hopeful and eagerly anticipating a return to mask-free interactions and gatherings, in-person learning and working, and many of the other daily activities we have grown accustomed to love. It is important to note, however, that although the vaccination news is incredibly promising, we are not yet at a point where a vaccine has been authorized or approved in the U.S. (although we may be very close to that with both Pfizer and Moderna seeking emergency use authorization for their vaccines in December).

While we await authorization, our federal, state and local public health officials are developing plans for distribution once a vaccine is available, taking into account how the vaccine is stored and administered, potential supply challenges and recommended priority groups (e.g. healthcare workers, older adults, etc.). There is reason to be excited and hopeful, but it is also important that we remain vigilant.

As the weather is getting colder, people are spending more time indoors, and the holidays are upon us, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the country are rising. Nearly 37,000 Americans died of COVID-19 in November, the most of any month since the pandemic began. And as I’m writing this, the United States reported its second-highest day of COVID-19 deaths, and nearly 100,000 virus patients are currently hospitalized.

Over the past several months, we’ve learned much more about the ways in which the virus spreads. As a refresher, the virus is still thought to spread mainly from person to person through direct contact and respiratory droplets when a person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes. The virus can also sometimes be spread through airborne transmission, meaning that infectious particles can linger in the air for minutes to hours. This type of transmission most often occurs in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation, or where the infected person was breathing heavily (exercising or singing, for example).

With the unsettling rise in cases, now is the time to double down on efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 — remember, the more steps that you take, the more protected you are, and your community is, against this virus. As an individual, keep CDC’s guiding principles in mind when making decisions about activities of daily living, going out and celebrating the holidays. The risk of COVID-19 increases based on:

1. The more people you interact with outside your home
2. The closer the physical interaction is with people outside your home
3. The longer the interaction is with people outside your home
4. The more sharing of items touched by people outside your home
5. The higher the level of community transmission

Continue to follow CDC’s guidance to protect yourself and others:

1. Know how it spreads — respiratory droplets and airborne transmission
2. Wash your hands often — use soap and water and carry hand sanitizer
3. Avoid close contact with people who are sick and those outside your home
4. Cover your mouth and nose with a mask — masks help prevent you from getting or spreading the virus
5. Cover coughs and sneezes
6. Clean and disinfect regularly
7. Monitor your health daily — watch for symptoms and stay home if you are not feeling well

As a park and recreation professional, make sure that your agency is continuing to implement COVID-19 safety measures and taking steps to slow the spread:

• Continue to monitor rates of community transmission and set clear thresholds to guide decision making
• Coordinate with local public health and government officials and other key sectors to make decisions about facility and park operations, programming, events, and how best to support community needs
• Continue to implement safety measures in managed spaces, facilities and programs, including in indoor settings where environmental changes including increased ventilation may be needed to enhance safety
• Maintain frequent and regular communications with the public, advising them of any changes in protocols, operations or programs and reinforcing personal protective measures
• Monitor the health and well-being of staff and implement new practices to protect them from the virus and help them cope with stress, isolation, diminished morale and other challenges
• Ensure your protocols for managing a positive case among staff or in your programs are clear and updated with the latest guidance (For example, CDC is shortening COVID-19 quarantine to 10 days, or 7 days with a negative test result, down from a 14-day period)

Park and recreation professionals can also continue to monitor federal, state and local plans regarding vaccine safety, planning and distribution as they are developed. There very well may be opportunities to leverage spaces and staffing to support vaccine distribution, support informational and education campaigns to encourage community members to receive the vaccine, or continue to engage in emergency response and operations in other capacities.

For more information about NRPA’s response to COVID-19, as well as available resources for park and recreation professionals, please see our Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) webpage.

Allison Colman (she/her) is NRPA’s Director of Health.