GEORGIA — This pandemic forced many Americans to rethink their normal routine to stay virus free. Add carpooling to the list of things that may need some rethinking.
Whether it’s getting the kids to practice or school or commuting to work with colleagues, carpooling is a popular option, but is it safe during the pandemic?
“They’re shedding (the) virus with their mouth and their nose, and they’re speaking and talking, and in a small car, that individual is certainly going to transmit virus to the members of that car,” Dr. Juan Salazar, of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center said.
There is a way to make carpooling less risky, and it is more than just lowering the window. Every rider must wear a mask during the commute, according to the experts.
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Experts advised that while masking is key, there are other ways to cut some risks, such as staying in the same carpool cluster and setting the air conditioning or heat on the non-recirculation mode.
This will bring in fresh air inside the car to dilute any possible viruses in the air.
"Your additional contacts lead to potential risk so if you maintain the same contacts, you will reduce your own risk and the risk of spreading to others, Dr. John Brownstein with the Boston Children’s Hospital said.
Each car rider should use hand sanitizer or wash hands after leaving the car, and rideshare customers should sit as far away from the driver as possible, like in the rear seat diagonally across from the driver, according recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“When you think about sort of ways in which we’re preventing transmission, it’s not just one or the other. It’s a multilayered strategy,” Brownstein said.
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