Question: This article from the Washington Post got me thinking about playgrounds. Some of my friends still won’t let their kids go play on a playground (even if other people there are masked). Do you think we finally have enough data to agree that playgrounds are safe?

Answer: The article, “Stop wiping down groceries and focus on bigger risks,” does a really nice job explaining the risks associated with fomite transmission under different scenarios. Experts remind readers that high traffic indoor places, like public restrooms adjoining an airport lobby, are much bigger risk for fomite transmission than outdoor places, including playgrounds. I checked the COVID Super-spreader Settings database that London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine researchers maintain to see if there were any playground settings listed. In promising news, no playgrounds were on the list! The upshot is, in the scheme of low- to high-risk activities, going to a playground *if you maintain good public health practices* would fit in the lower-risk category. Of course, it’s COVID times, so there’s still more risk than staying home, but participating in lower risk activities can be important for maintaining our health — physical, emotional, and mental. A bit more information:

The risk of fomite transmission at playgrounds is low due to how quickly the virus dies in the outdoor environment. However, because playgrounds present the opportunity of lots of hands touching the same surfaces, frequent hand washing is imperative, as is avoidance of touching the face while at the playground (virus could move from hands to mouth, eyes, or nose).

The risk of person-to-person transmission at the playground is higher if the playground is busy, making social distance difficult to maintain. Please follow good public health practices. CDC offers some guidance on visiting playgrounds here, and it’s mostly what you’d expect — don’t go if you’re sick; maintain 6+ feet of distance; wear masks; wash hands; avoid touching your face.

Even though playgrounds are lower-risk settings and we have no evidence of transmission events from playgrounds, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Playgrounds have been associated with other disease transmission events. For example, exposure to public playgrounds has been associated with increased risk of hand, foot, and mouth disease. To minimize risk, it’s imperative to follow good public health practices, especially good hand washing practices!