Name: Families ponder indoor play dates with Washington state now in Phase 3
Uploaded: 2021-03-23T17:31:54-07:00
Description: Under Phase 3, indoor capacity opens up including for play dates. Q13's Hana Kim reports.

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Families ponder indoor play dates with Washington state now in Phase 3

Under Phase 3, indoor capacity opens up including for play dates. Q13's Hana Kim reports.

SEATTLE - Many playgrounds in Washington state are now bustling with more activity as people, in general, are living life a little bit more with the state now in Phase 3 of reopening.

"All of us are chomping at the bit for any excuse to get together," said parent Christina Perrin while at Meadowbrook Park in North Seattle.

Getting together for Perrin means the possibility of home playdates for her 4-year-old son, Levi.

There are no state guidelines for playdates, but the expectation is that families will follow the Department of Health's guidelines for social gatherings. Under Phase 3, Washingtonians are allowed to have company with a maximum of 10 people outside of a household and a smaller amount indoors.

But if you ask Perrin, she still does not feel comfortable enough to hang out with a lot of people indoors.

"If you told me there were 10 people inside and everyone was vaccinated, I wouldn’t think twice about it," Perrin said.

Until then, the Seattle mom said she is going to take it case by case.

"I would definitely try to get a clear picture of what have you been doing, who have you been seeing,"Perrin said.

Perrin says she will ask families about COVID exposure risks before deciding to go inside on a play date with multiple families.

That kind of attention to detail is what health experts say will keep COVID cases on the right trend.

"Try to keep it to one household or two households getting together at a time," Dr. Chris Spitters with Snohomish Health District said.

Spitters said think twice about having a gathering if there are vulnerable adults in your home who have not been vaccinated.

The main concern is more about children spreading the virus to adults, Spitters said.

Perrin admits the isolation for an entire year has been hard, especially since her family is made up of extroverts.

"I miss people like crazy," Perrin said.

But she’s still choosing to tip toe into Phase 3 rather than running towards it full speed.

"The new normal is true... I don’t know if I am ever going to feel incredibly comfortable the way we use to do things," Perrin said.