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The COVID Conundrum: Super Bowl Party or Watch the Game at Home?

February 07, 2022

In the second COVID-era Super Bowl, the big decision this weekend isn’t picking the Rams or Bengals. It’s Super Bowl party or watch the game from home?

Of those who usually watch the game with others, 40 percent say they are very likely to either host or attend a party this year with people outside their household, according to a Morning Consult survey. That’s a 14 percent boost from last year, but still a relatively low party participation. In a typical, non-COVID year, a quarter of American adults host or attend a Super Bowl party.

Just like your prediction on the game’s final score, whether you stay home or go to a viewing party is your call.

“All parties at any time will be dependent on a person’s own personal risk,” says Dr. Ulysses Wu, Hartford HealthCare’s System Director of Infection Disease and Chief Epidemiologist, “so it is not up to me to approve or not approve as it is their personal choice.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its latest guidance, advises an outdoor gathering as its safe-case scenario. That, of course, is unlikely in New England’s winter chill.

When considering a Super Bowl party, says Dr. Wu, assess these factors:

  • Vaccines.
  • Masking.
  • Number of people.
  • Size of the facility.
  • Symptoms.
  • Testing.

Know the COVID risk wherever you go, particularly if out of state. Use the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker to find cases, hospitalizations, testing and other information for any county in the United States. Your party hosts might appreciate a self-test before your arrive, which can determine your risk of spreading COVID-19. If you test positive, obviously, stay home — even if you don’t feel sick.

Wherever you go, the safety precautions are unlikely to be as strict as those at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, site of the Super Bowl.

Here are some of the Feb. 13 gameday requirements provided by the NFL:

  • Attendees age 5 and older must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative PCR test within 48 hours or negative antigen (rapid) test within 24 hours of the game.
  • If unvaccinated, you must obtain your negative test prior to arriving on campus.
  • Attendees 18 and older are required to display government-issued ID along with their vaccine verification or proof of negative test.
  • Certification of prior COVID-19 infection does not exempt attendees from the vaccination or negative test verification requirement.
  • All attendees age 2 and older are required to wear a face covering in SoFi Stadium or at the Tailgate party (invite only) except while actively eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status.

Once you’ve determined your COVID-19 game plan, you can return to more normal, pre-COVID considerations — as in, Rams or Bengals?

“I pick the score every year,” says Dr. Wu, who more typically predicts the pandemic’s path. “I have no vested interest in either team, but it will be Rams 27, Bengals 17.”