Many of you have asked us lots of good questions. Can I go to the cabin? Or have my friends over? What about seeing extended family? The answer is never a clear one. The experts say people should rely on our limited knowledge of the coronavirus and how it’s transmitted. Plus, our own common sense.

We interviewed public health and medical experts who agreed on some basic protocols… Wear a mask. Keep six feet of distance. Wash your hands and don’t touch your face. Socialize outside whenever possible. 

Enclosed spaces are extra risky. That includes riding in a car with someone not from your household and gathering a group of people in a small space. There are lots of surfaces to touch and the air is recirculated, offering plenty of virus-transmission points. 

And if you’re having people over for dinner or for the night, be cautious. As you weigh plans, consider whether there are options for social distancing, sleeping in different parts of the home and even if different households can use separate bathrooms. And you’ll need to disinfect high-use surfaces often. 

For visiting elderly family members, consider how deadly the coronavirus is for them. Before going to see them, consider if you’ve been in a high-risk situation where you may have been exposed to COVID-19. If you have, or if you have any symptoms, best to stay home. If you go, meet outside, wear a mask, wash your hands, keep six feet or more apart, and definitely do not hug. 

Set the ground rules ahead of time if you decide to gather. M. Kumi Smith, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, said laying out expectations and precautions before meeting can help avoid an uncomfortable meeting. “I started doing that because I had a so-called ‘socially distant’ picnic with friends, and everyone ended up sitting a lot more closely together than I was comfortable with,” she said. “And I was surprised, even though this is my job, I actually felt really awkward asking people to spread out more.”

If you’re meeting with kids for a play date, it’s extra difficult. That means parents need to be realistic on what kids can and can’t do when it comes to safety and distancing before agreeing on a play date. “Consider that a risk you will want to acknowledge, and look in the eye, and think about whether it’s worth it for your family to take that risk, and worth it for you or for your friends to be exposed to that risk," Smith advised. 

Consider your own biases, too. People tend to overestimate the risk of getting sick from strangers but underestimate when it comes to people we know. That means, Smith said, “we really take a huge amount of precaution when we're around people that we don't know. And then we really sort of let our guard down around our family and friends." Let your guard down and the coronavirus can take advantage of it.

And if you need further reason for caution, here are the latest coronavirus statistics:

• 18,200 confirmed cases via 173,556 tests

• 809 deaths

• 2,380 cases requiring hospitalization

• 566 people remain hospitalized; 229 in intensive care

• 12,488 patients no longer needing isolation