Parents, are you hosting playdates for your children? Should you? The topic came up during Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s press conference Thursday.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan) said we are seeing positive progress in our state when it comes to the fight against COVID-19.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive, said over the past 30 days about 19,000 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19. It is not insignificant, but we also have fewer current outbreaks than we did.
“We also have 157 ongoing outbreaks across the state and that is 65 fewer than we were tracking the previous week,” she said.
The concern is that that could change as children return to school. Dr. Khaldun said parents should limit physical interactions outside of school to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Even playdates should go virtual.
“This social interaction is important for our children, but please consider not having those playdates as you normally would. Try to be creative and have video conference calls with your children's friends if possible,” said Dr. Khaldun.
Dr. Khaldun said she has young children and understands this is not ideal. She said the consequences of potential playdates and social gatherings also need to be considered.
“Every time you have a gathering there is a risk someone there will have COVID-19. Not only could it spread to others and make people very ill, but it could also cause significant disruptions if someone is identified as a close contact and they have to stay out of school or work for two weeks,” said Dr. Khaldun.
