When it comes to the community’s response to COVID-19, experts recom-mend precautions to help avoid spreading the virus: wearing a mask in public, frequently washing your hands and practicing physical distancing.
“We understand phy-sical distancing has been a challenge during the pandemic,” said Catherine Langdon, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Mental Health Clinician at ThedaCare Behavioral Health in Menasha. “Humans need meaningful interaction with others. We should also remember the changes and recommendations are to ensure the safety of our community.”
While many are con-tinuing to physically distance themselves from others, some may feel it is the right time to begin interacting again. One alternative to continued social isolation is to engage a group of people – family, friends or co-workers – to create a small group that strictly socially interacts with one another. These groups are becoming known as “quarantine bubbles,” “social bubbles,” “COVID bubbles,” “quarantine pods” or “quaranteams”.
“There are many names for this trend,” explained Langdon. “It is really creating a small group of people with whom to socialize regularly. This may be a good way to help those who need interaction with others. In fact, many people have been ‘bubbling’ already, they just didn’t call it that.”
Langdon gives an example in her own life, noting that she, her fiancé and his parents have been interacting for the past few months, while everyone limits their contact to the other people.
“For us, it was expanding our immediate family to include those who we want and need to see frequently,” she said. “We’ve all been working from home, so we agreed to limit our interactions and wear masks whenever we are in public, limiting our risk of exposing each other to the virus.”
The limited interaction and precaution each person takes outside of the group are extremely important for a successful, safe and healthy “bubble” explained Jennifer Frank, MD, Chief Medical Officer at ThedaCare.
“With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) predicting the coronavirus will affect our lives for a significant, unknown length of time, it’s important that people find ways to meet their mental, emotional and physical health needs,” she said. “Small social groups could give people a way to interact with a slightly larger group while still limiting their exposure to the virus.”
Dr. Frank stressed that wearing masks in public, practicing social distancing and frequent hand washing will continue to be the best ways to prevent spread of the virus.
“While states are now allowing businesses, rest-aurants, bars and shopping venues to open, that doesn’t mean the virus has disappeared,” she said. “It’s still very active in all of our communities. Re-opening society is a matter of balancing the country’s economic health with the physical, mental and emotional health of our citizens. People need to remain vigilant about practicing protective measures to keep the virus in check.”
Langdon prefers the term “physical distancing” as opposed to “social distancing.” She noted that some people have a greater need for social activities than others.
“In this prolonged period of isolation, some people are struggling,” she said. “Having a social bubble could be a way to take a measured risk and enjoy more social engagement. The goal of a bubble is that everyone would be able to interact with everyone else in the bubble the same as they do with those who live in their private households. That would include sharing meals, playing games and not physically distancing.”
She observed that social bubbles might be especially helpful for children who may be missing playing with other children. Two families forming a bubble could be a way to provide more social activity for everyone. She offered some advice on how to successfully create and interact within a social bubble, which typically is a combination of two or a few isolated households.
“First and foremost, honesty, trust and respect must be the basis of all conversations about estab-lishing a social bubble,” she said. “It starts with having very honest conversations with the people whom you think you might be comfortable interacting with.”
Langdon noted that you may discover that while you may be good friends, you may have different comfort levels with reading your response to the virus such as public activity or wearing a mask.
“You may find that some friends don’t share your level of concern, in which case you wouldn’t choose to bubble with them,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t continue to be friends with them. They just wouldn’t be compatible bubble members.”
Once a bubble is established, Langdon said transparency and open communication about what everyone in the bubble is doing is vital.
“Be very honest about your activities and then don’t take it personally if someone isn’t comfortable with an activity you’ve done or how much you’ve been out in public,” she said. “You don’t have to justify why you feel uncomfortable with something someone in your group is doing, everyone should empathize with each other’s feelings.”
Langdon suggested it’s a good idea to have a trial period with any people you might choose to bubble with.
“I’d recommend setting a trial period of two weeks and then reviewing how everyone feels about the group, and whether it’s meeting everyone’s needs,” she said. “You can then make adjustments or decide that it is not the right fit.”
Dr. Frank noted that members of a bubble must be willing to assume that if one member gets COVID-19 that it’s likely all members could be exposed.
“If someone in the bubble gets COVID-19, they should immediately remove themselves from the group and not rejoin until they’re clear of the virus,” said Dr. Frank. “Other members should then take necessary precautions to understand their risk. I also recommend they speak to their primary care provider to determine if testing is needed.”
Langdon noted while having a “social bubble” might not be fully returning to normal, it might help us as we continue coping with COVID-19.
“We’re going on multiple months of stress, change and restrictions,” she said. “Chronic stress really has an impact on our immune systems and that impacts our physical, mental and emotional health. This is an important time to practice good self-care, making sure that you recognize what you need and how you’re coping with things. If you need help or additional support, whether that’s counseling, or talking with friends/family, engaging in social media activities, getting better physical exercise or eating healthier – those are all things that add up to maintaining our overall wellbeing.”