The snowman named "Claude", which was built on a hill in the Olympic complex, has a mouth- nose protection made of a banana.
The picture alliance is via Peter Kneffel.
We answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronaviruses crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronaviruses Questions." You can find an archive of our FAQ here.
Studies show that being outside reduces your risk of getting the coronaviruses. A review concluded that the odds of indoor transmission are 19 times higher than outdoor. In a study of 64 college football games during the 2020 season involving 1,190 athletes, researchers at Texas A&M University found zero spread of COVID during game play based on three post-game PCR tests over the course of a week. The study authors believe that football players were more likely to spread the disease in locker rooms and other indoor shared spaces.
The outdoor air does a good job of dispersal.
Does omicron play by the same rules?
"From a virus standpoint, there's no indication that omicron is behaving differently in outdoor settings," says Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease professor at the University of Michigan who co-authored an editorial on the research on football teams.
If you're packed together in a place that's only open air and people are sharing food or kissing or drinking, it's not impossible. If it's a casual interaction outside, I'm comfortable not wearing a mask. We have to find ways to do things that are meaningful. It's nice to see people's expressions.
In parts of the country that are now cold in the winter, building snow structures and sledding is a great activity for kids.
Omicron is the most transmissible variant yet. There could be more cases of outdoor transmission because of the sheer volume of cases. She says that you shouldn't lose sight of the benefits of socializing outdoors.
Weatherhead says that being outdoors provides another layer of protection. Vaccination, masking and physical distance are other layers.
She says that the safest place to be is outdoors.
Some outdoor situations could call for masking up if your own risk tolerance is low. The studies showed that there were less cases of outdoor transmission when close contact was involved. If you're talking face-to-face with someone who's very close to you, it's risky no matter where you are.
"It can happen outside," says Dr. Don Milton, an infectious disease aerobiologist at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
He says that you have to be close to the person who has the disease. He says that the breeze outdoors is generally safer than indoors. The air movement is random and the virus won't build up.
He believes that that holds true for omicron. It makes sense that people would be concerned about getting a more contagious variant outdoors, but it's likely that the current surge in cases doesn't have anything to do with outdoor spread.
Preliminary research shows that people with omicron don't breathe out higher viral loads than people with delta. People who are vaccine-vaccinated have less infectious virus particles than people who aren't.
If you find yourself worried about not being able to distance yourself in a crowded outdoor situation with people of unknown vaccination status, wear a mask.
Keep in mind that risk is a continuum.
"Slipping on the ice or getting in an accident on the way to an outdoor rendezvous is probably more likely than getting COVID outside," he says.
If you live in a cold area, you may want to leave your mask on. Not only does it keep your cheeks warm, but who wants to fuss with a mask in sub-freezing temperatures?
Eldred is a health journalist. She has written about COVID-19 for a number of publications. There is more at sheilaeldred.pressfolios.com. On social media: milepostmedia.
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