Over 4th of July weekend, officials urge caution due to COVID-19 pandemic

Infectious disease experts are warning about the risk of COVID-19 transmission over the Fourth of July weekend in Minnesota.

Even though many cities canceled their large celebrations, people are still planning holiday weekend cookouts, and local hotspots, like Lake Minnetonka, are expected to be very busy.

"There are a number of problems associated with Fourth of July weekend, in particular," said Dr. Frank Rhame, an infectious disease physician at Abbott Northwestern in the Allina Health system. "We tend to have big groups and we tend to get together with lots of family members. The cross-generational aspect of these holiday weekends produces a real challenge because the younger people who are not so likely to get sick can infect the older people who are much more likely to get seriously ill and die."

Outdoor gatherings of 25 or less are allowed in Minnesota. Indoor gatherings of 10 or less are also allowed. Even though COVID-19 is not surging in Minnesota right now, Dr. Rhame urges people to proceed with caution.

"Be cautious. This is a serious business. I take care of people who are dying of COVID and it’s a really nasty disease," Dr. Rhame said. "There’s no surprise here that if you back off your precautions, the virus comes back. That means discipline, that means doing things carefully and cautiously and people are not being disciplined."

Dr. Rhame advises people who are planning gatherings to limit exposure to family or close friends who are being careful in their daily lives.

KSTP’s Fourth of July Guide

"If I was at a big family gathering where I had somebody who didn’t take precautions, I’d be very worried about that person being in my bubble," Dr. Rhame said.

He said the most important step to lower the risk of spreading the virus is to keep six feet of space between guests and wear masks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also released a list of guidelines for summer cookouts and gatherings. It includes designating one person to serve all the food so multiple hands are not touching the same utensils, using packets of condiments instead of bottles, putting paper towels in bathrooms to avoid sharing hand towels and keeping a list of guests in case someone later tests positive for the virus.

Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson is also urging caution to Minnesotans planning to visit local lakes and rivers.

"There’s going to be thousands of boaters out there so we’re asking people to obviously use common sense and take some personal responsibility," Sheriff Hutchinson said. "I think it’s going to be as busy, maybe busier than usual, since people have been kind of cooped up the last couple of months."

He said they will be bringing in extra water patrols, enforcing protocols related to social distancing and boating under the influence.

"Every single person that’s trained in water patrol in our sheriff’s office is going to be out there, so more than ever before we are going to be out there," Sheriff Hutchinson said. "But we’re also asking people to police themselves, take some personal responsibility and act like adults."

Lake Minnetonka is of particular concern as a well-known party spot over the holiday weekend.

"In those big groups like that, you can have a lot of transmission," added Dr. Rhame. "We still have, in most places, only 20% infected. That means 80% uninfected. That is plenty to sustain large numbers of transmissions."