Summer is the best time to spend with your family and friends doing leisurely activities. After months of quarantining and self-isolating, people are ready to socialize. However, under the circumstances, you may think that the possibility of doing these activities while staying in line with social distancing is not attainable. Thankfully, this isn’t true; you can still enjoy your summer outdoors with a different approach.

One of the most appealing activities is probably to have an outdoor cookout. Invite your closest family and friends and plan a social distancing cookout for yourself and your loved ones. Below, I will highlight a few methods of making this possible while keeping safe.

Disinfect

If you’re hosting a cookout, preventing the spread of germs is important. If you have a few friends over for a small outdoor BBQ, disinfect first. Clean and sanitize all the surfaces that you think your guests may touch, like outdoor furniture, door knobs, and even handrails. Feel free to leave out a big sanitizer bottle for everyone to use.

Segregating Seats

Separating seats will show your guests you’re serious about upholding social distancing measures. Set up seating arrangements in advance. A simple way to do this is by putting together households at a safe distance from others. Request guests to remain within their seating circle to ensure everyone stays apart.

Limited seating

If you’re under a constraint for a lack of available seating, please tell some guests beforehand to bring their chairs. Mark off the segregated seats and tell your guests where to set up their chairs. Remind them to take their chairs back home when packing up.

Bring Your Own BBQ

Unfortunately, your grill is going to have to sit this one out. This is probably the hardest concept to grasp when hosting a social distance cookout. The best solution is to bring their food to prevent guests from hanging around the grill. This also includes bringing their cutlery and condiments. This will help prevent people from sharing their food while maintaining a safe distance.

Single server

With everyone bringing their food, it’s understandable if you lose the feeling of hosting the event. I decided to be in charge of supplying the drinks for the gathering. Pack some cans and bottles into a few coolers. As long as people grab and go, there shouldn’t be a problem. As an added precaution, it helps to wipe down the cooler often or keep it open throughout to limit contact.

Games

Fortunately, there’s more to a cookout than just good food. Adding games to the mix makes it a much more social bonding experience. Thankfully, most games such as badminton, soccer, and golf are social distancing friendly. As a reminder, sanitize and clean the accessories being used before playing. Another option is for guests to bring their labeled rackets or balls to prevent confusion.

Front yard Cookout

If you’re lucky enough to have a front yard and feel a little extra friendly, feel free to include your neighbors in your cookout. Have everyone participate and utilize their front yard by setting up their meal. This is a great new experience to bond with your neighbors in a different setting. This is especially a brilliant strategy if kids are involved in the cookout, as it’ll keep them included and safe.

Virtual Cookout

If your yard is too small for a cookout, or you don’t feel safe within a social setting, I have one more option to prevent you from feeling like you’re missing out on anything this summer. A virtual call solves this issue and even allows out-of-state friends to participate.

Host a live meal with your favorite desserts, grilled meats and snacks. The best part of a virtual feed is that you can integrate online games and apps to provide an additional source of entertainment.

Social distancing will come as a challenge and may intrude on your fun summer plans. Fortunately, some multiple methods and tips will allow you to enjoy your plans with your friends and family while adhering to precautionary safety measures.

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