Health Experts Fear Super Bowl Parties Could Lead To Super-Spreader Events

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The COVID-19 pandemic has touched just about every aspect of day-to-day life.

And Super Bowl Sunday will be no exception. This week, the CDC released a list of recommendations to help people enjoy the big game safely.

The CDC says people should celebrate from home with the people they already live with. People are encouraged to celebrate by hosting virtual Super Bowl watch parties.

Guidance for those include:

Those who attend in-person viewing parties are encouraged to have them outdoors where viewers can sit six feet apart. Other guidance includes using a projector screen to broadcast the game, and
sitting at least six feet away from people you don’t live with.

Allegheny Health Network’s Dr. Marc Itskowitz said, “It’s unusual the CDC is having any recommendations regarding the Super Bowl. That tells us we’re living in unusual times.”

Dr. Itskowitz also told KDKA most coronavirus transmission has stemmed from small household gatherings over the past year and “when you bring people into your home or go into someone else’s home, and especially for more than a few hours, that risk goes up significantly”.

Since the virus spreads through the air, the CDC has also suggested a more silent approach to celebrating those touchdowns. It’s being recommended people swap the chanting and cheering with clapping and stomping.

Doctors believe those types of releases carry a risk of expelling infectious droplets into the environment.