How safe are outdoor gatherings in Columbus as delta variant spreads? What to know
As residents and visitors gather together at large outdoor events in Columbus over the summer, public health officials emphasize the importance of following COVID-19 precautions and getting vaccinated.
Well-known programs like Market Days on Broadway happen weekly, and the annual concert series hosted by Uptown Columbus is set to return. Others, like the Columbus Chatt-a-Hoots inaugural season this summer, just finished.
All are navigating how to implement COVID-19 precautions to reduce spread and keep people safe during an outing.
The Columbus Health Department advises residents to follow the most up to date guidelines about large gatherings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jack Lockwood, the acting public information officer for the department, said.
While it is best to avoid large, indoor gatherings, the CDC does state that outdoor gatherings, such as concerts or sporting events, can be done in a safer manner if attendees are wearing masks and spaced six feet or more apart from each other. However, the increase in COVID-19 cases and low vaccination rates are a cause of concern for large events.
“Two months ago, I would have said, in an area with a low degree of COVID transmission and high degree of vaccination, it’s fine,” Dr. Harry J. Heiman, a clinical associate professor at Georgia State University’s School of Public Health, said. “Especially if we’re talking about large outdoor events.”
But with the current rates of transmission and the spread of the Delta variant in Georgia, Heiman said that’s no longer the case. Attendees would be safer if they were vaccinated, wearing masks, social distancing and only gathering in crowds of 10 or 20 people, he said.
Taking precautions
The two-week COVID-19 case rate in Muscogee County is 438 cases per 100,000 as of Aug. 11, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The county has reported 840 cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks, and 32% of residents are fully vaccinated, according to DPH.
To find the current COVID-19 transmission rates, residents can check the CDC’s data tracker for county level information. The CDC has released guidelines about what activities are safe for those have been fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people are recommended to follow more stringent precautions.
Uptown Columbus will be monitoring the guidelines that Mayor Skip Henderson has put in place for the community, which does not include a mask mandate. However, the organization encourages everyone who plans to attend the concert series to wash their hands, stay six feet apart and wear a mask if they are not vaccinated.
“We are asking that everyone follows the guidelines in place to respect one anothers space while at the concerts,” Tracey Green, director of communications and events for Uptown Columbus, said in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer.
The Chatt-a-Hoots played in the championship game on Aug. 7, wrapping a season that featured just over 20 games played at the historic Golden Park in Columbus. The stadium holds around 4,000 people, but on average, the crowd was less than half that and seating was staggered, Scott Brand, president and general manager of the team, said.
“I think a lot of people thought going outside, your seating and your contact with people could be different than inside,” Brand said.
The organization took recommendations from the city, in addition to CDC guidelines, to open up to the public for baseball games, Brand said, and throughout the season there wasn’t a point where they needed to backtrack and change their COVID-19 procedures.
Vaccines and the future
Brand and Heiman both said that getting vaccinated would be the best course of action for residents looking for large gatherings and events to return back to normal.
However, Heiman warned that the Delta variant is highly contagious, and people who are vaccinated may still get and transmit the virus.
“I think it’s really important for people to be reminded that the vaccine is very, very protective, meaning your risk of getting (COVID) is much lower,” Heiman said. “And if you do get the virus after being vaccinated, your risk of being hospitalized or dying is exceptionally low.”
Brand said although he understands the decision to get vaccinated is a choice, he appreciates Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s messaging on the importance of getting vaccinated. At some point, everyone has to move forward, he said, and the guidelines from public health officials on the local, state and federal level helped the Chatt-a-Hoots complete a successful season.
Officials want to support business, but they have to consider how to do it safely, he added.
Brand’s staff got a day off after the season ended, and then began preparing for the Columbus River Dragons’ upcoming hockey season at the Civic Center, which hold 7,000 seats. The staff will be working on cleaning and addressing maintenance issues before the next events begin, Brand said.
The free Uptown Friday Night Concert Series will begin Sept. 3 and end on Oct. 15. The concerts will be held every Friday from 7-10 p.m. on the 1000 block of Broadway.
“Bringing events back to Uptown helps support our small businesses and encourages people in the community to shop local and eat local,” Green said. “The concerts are a long-time family-free event that gives families something fun to do.”
