These days, you likely don’t leave your home without a few masks in your purse and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Though the COVID-19 outbreak fights on throughout the country, more and more businesses have begun to reopen. And while some normalcy is exciting, we still want to ensure we can avoid getting the virus.

While masks and sanitizer are certainly a good start, there are lots of other ways to avoid catching the dreadful virus, especially if you plan to go out and about. Here, Dr. Deborah Lee chimes in about her best ways to staying healthy throughout the pandemic. Keep these tips in your back pocket, and stay healthy out there!

  1. Say hi from afar

    Gone are the days we should be greeting each other with a hug or kiss. If you do plan to see family or friends, try to avoid close contact when saying hello to them. Air hugs and elbow bumps are acceptable, though!

  2. Don’t be afraid to go outside…

    While there’s still a chance you can contract COVID-19 from being outside, it’s much smaller, and Dr. Lee says it’s the second-best place to be (next to your own home). Really, you want to avoid being in tight, enclosed spaces with others, since droplets from the virus more easily spread in these types of closed corners. However, getting outside reduces your risk (and it’s good for our mental health, too).

  3. …Or getting takeout food

    With many restaurants still closed, you might be craving some good meals that you don’t have to cook—and yes, even in a pandemic, you should give in to those! The good news is, studies found transmission of COVID-19 isn’t likely to occur via food. Of course, you should still take as many precautions as you can, like doing a contactless purchase and pickup when getting the takeout, and wash your hands thoroughly before digging in.

  4. Walk and talk

    It’s okay to visit a small number of friends and family, but Dr. Lee says to keep moving when doing so, vs. staying stagnant. She says that you’re less likely to transmit the virus if you’re moving while you’re hanging out while staying six feet apart (vs. if you’re sitting still six feet apart). Interesting!

  5. Say how you feel

    We know now that staying a minimum of six feet apart from others is the safest distance to be. But if someone is getting closer to you than you’d like, it’s important to be assertive in telling them to give you some more space. (Note that you can be both assertive and polite at the same time!).

What are some ways you take precautions to avoid getting COVID-19?

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