Finally an update….

For many people this past spring meant a change in behavior ranging from panic to moderate concern. Social distancing entered our world. For cavers the above ground effects have mostly been changing to virtual meetings and cancelling or reducing social get togethers. Even the NSS convention was cancelled. But underground? Well, very few states mentioned cave trips, although many state park and commercial caves closed any tours.

We’re left on our own to figure best practices for recreational caving. I’m pretty certain any caver would refrain from going on a trip if they had tested positive or felt sick. But Covid can be transmitted by someone a for a few days before they even realize they are sick, or they might not get sick at all. So knowing and trusting the social behavior of everyone in your cave trip party is important.

Since part of the Covid risk is airborne transmission, the type of cave is an important factor. If you’ve rested in a cave after a tough passage you can see the steam rising off of cavers. So moist caves with little air flow and small passages are high risk. And crawling and climbing lead to heavy breathing meaning more air and particles in and out of the lungs.

On the other hand, a casual stroll down a windy borehole is probably pretty low risk.

Unfortunately there is no single answer about whether a trip will be low risk for Covid. Knowledge of the participants and cave will be important.