Superspreader Sunday?

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged after almost every major holiday of the past year, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. This weekend brings another major holiday, even if it’s not an official one: Super Bowl Sunday. And there is reason to worry that it will turn into Superspreader Sunday.

Polls show that a significant number of people plan to attend parties. Two separate surveys — one by Seton Hall University and one by the National Retail Federation — found that nearly 30 percent of adults said they would attend a gathering at someone’s home or watch the game at a restaurant or a bar.

If anything, this weekend may be more dangerous than most holidays. Super Bowl parties are usually indoors and can involve more households than a holiday meal. This year’s game is also happening when contagious new variants of the virus have begun to spread.

There is precedent for sporting events leading to outbreaks. Health officials in Los Angeles believe that gatherings to watch playoff games last fall involving the Lakers (who won the N.B.A. title) and Dodgers (who won the World Series) accelerated the virus’s surge in Southern California.

“Crowds of packed fans crammed into outdoor dining patios,” The Los Angeles Times explained last week, noting that gatherings often included unmasked people “chanting, singing or shouting.” The same story quotes Barbara Ferrer, the public health director of Los Angeles County: “Don’t organize a party at home. Don’t go to a Super Bowl party.”

The next several weeks feel especially important. Cases have been falling sharply, and the pace of vaccination — though still maddeningly slow — is picking up. We have reached a potential turning point, when Covid-19 deaths could start declining and never again reach their earlier highs.
The New York Times