There are lots of good detailed guides to things like setting up outdoor dining, etc., and you can find links to some of these resources on this site. Here are some general guidelines for hosting small gatherings, like community group events, or workplace meetups. Large professional events like concerts have their own set of rules.
CREATE A WELCOMING PLACE
A lot of people will feel anxious about social activities, especially if they have been spending a lot of time at home during the pandemic. Using things like music, colourful decorations, plants, and other small things that make spaces feel a bit more ‘homely’, can help people to relax and feel less anxious about coming along and joining in.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING
We are naturally quite good physical distancers: when we are standing we automatically create ‘personal space’ between ourselves and others. If you are going to have people seated, however, then you need to create personal space for them. 1 metre is good and 2 metres is ideal. Use moveable chairs, rather than fixed seating, like picnic tables, which don’t enable people to physically distance. The risk of catching covid-19 from touching surfaces, like chairs, is low, however, you can let people know that you will wipe down the chairs before everyone arrives.
USE GUIDES
Using physical distancing guides, like circles or dots, is one way to help people stay safe without requiring them to think about safety too much. Its tiring and a bit stressful having to wander around thinking ‘is this 2metres?’ all the time. Guides give people a physical marker they can use to distance, without having to think about it. The more you set your space up so that people don’t have to monitor their safety, the more relaxed they will tend to be, and the more likely they are to come along again.
OTHER ESSENTIALS
1) Weather-proofing. Do you have protection from sun, wind and rain? Parks are great places, because they often have trees which provide a bit of natural protection from sun and wind. Rain is a bit trickier. Shade sails and and other tarpaulins can provide good weather proofing, if you have your own space. Make sure you still have good air-flow, if you are using any sort of ‘tent’ or tarpaulin. Encourage people to bring a jacket, if the weather is getting cooler.
2) Toilets and water. People will need access to both. Remind people that they will need to bring a mask, for the bathrooms.
LET PEOPLE KNOW ALL THE DETAILS
This is important. Let people know all the details about exactly what will be happening and how the space will be set up to keep them safer. The more ‘uncertainties’ or ‘unknowns’ the more anxious people will feel, so provide lots of details in your invite. E.g. ‘This event will be outdoors, with 2m physical distancing. There are toilets and water nearby. Bring a mask for the toilets. BYO food. There is shade but no rain protection, so if its raining we will postpone.’