CDC is all in on virtual Super Bowl parties

Don’t let the pandemic score a touchdown.

For this Sunday’s Super Bowl LV, root for Kansas City or Tampa Bay — but against the coronavirus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued party tips — well, no-party tips — for the big game.

Hoping to discourage gatherings that could spread the coronavirus and worsen the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency is urging that people watch indoors only with their own individual households.

"Host a virtual Super Bowl watch party," say guidelines issued late last month showing a man watching a TV and holding up his phone displaying a woman video chatting.

Among the agency’s tips:

• Wearing articles of clothing or decorating your home with your favorite team’s colors or logo.
• Making snacks or appetizers — "with the people you live with to enjoy while watching the game and share the recipes with your friends and family."
• Starting "a text group with other fans to chat about the game while watching."

"Gathering virtually or with the people you live with is the safest way to celebrate the Super Bowl this year. If you do have a small gathering with people who don’t live with you, outdoors is safer than indoors," according to the CDC guidelines. "This year, choose a safer way to enjoy the game."

Any outdoor party should use a projector, with attendees who don’t live together at least 6 feet apart.

Throughout the pandemic, one of the major drivers of virus infection has been small gatherings, so much so that last year Britain explicitly banned them.

According to a poll by Seton Hall University, 1 in 4 respondents said they planned to gather this year for the Super Bowl with people who live outside their household. A poll by the National Retail Federation in 2019 found about 46% planned to attend such a gathering.

The game is being televised on CBS, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.