degree of caution if they’re at risk.
If you live with or have frequent contact with an elderly relative, someone who has a serious medical condition or someone with a weakened immune system, you need to understand they’re at high risk.
Consider avoiding large events or wearing a mask to prevent potentially catching and spreading the virus to them, McDeavitt suggests.
RELATED: 3 Things to Consider With Mask Mandates Lifting
Be cautious of your work environment
You also need to be cautious if you work in an environment where you are routinely exposed to people at high risk, such as nursing homes, health care settings or retirement centers.
Before going to an event, check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to find the coronavirus case rate in your county.
When it’s below 100 cases per 100,000 population per seven days, you are much less likely to encounter an infected person — and the lower the rate, the lower your risk.
The takeaway
If you have COVID-19 symptoms, don’t go to crowded places. You also need to know that if an event does not require COVID-19 testing, attendees do not need to get tested before or after the event unless they have symptoms.
“Learning to live with the virus doesn’t mean we ignore it and pretend it’s not there. It’s taking personal responsibility for using the tools available to be as safe as possible while going about our lives,” McDeavitt shares. “We need to start opening up public events and let individuals make their own risk-benefit calculation of whether attendance is the right thing for them.”