See The Risk Of Coronavirus Exposure Indoors In Baltimore County

Catonsville MD

29 December, 2020

12:19 PM

Description

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — As people prepare to celebrate over Christmas weekend and coronavirus cases and hospitalizations show no sign of slowing down in the U.S., officials are once again asking residents to stay within their own homes and many states have already imposed restrictions around the holidays. Under Baltimore County's latest executive order, indoor social gatherings of more than 10 people and outdoor social gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited. Social gatherings include, but are not limited to, family gatherings, parties, cookouts, parades, festivals, conventions, fundraisers and other gatherings not associated with operating or patronizing a business. Social gatherings do not includes restaurants, businesses, private schools, child care or other establishments where existing, specific state orders are already in place. For those planning on hosting a gathering or visiting others, a tool developed by researchers from several universities lets you see your risk of exposure to the virus at an indoor gathering. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also lists things people should consider if traveling or attending a gathering. The tool shows the estimated chance — between 0 and 100 percent — that you'll encounter at least one person with the coronavirus at an event in your county. You can reduce the risk by wearing a mask, distancing and gathering outdoors in smaller groups, researchers said. As of Dec. 29, if you were to attend an event with at least 15 people in Baltimore County, there's a 26 percent chance that someone in the group could expose you to the virus, according to the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Planning Tool. Two Georgia Institute of Technology professors led the creation of the project, and their team included researchers from Stanford University and the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory. "By default we assume there are five times more cases than are being reported," the research team said in a statement. "In places with less testing availability, that bias may be higher." >> Access the COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool here. Amber Fisher contributed to this report.