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With some businesses starting to reopen and some states loosening restrictions, it’s important to keep in mind how to best keep yourself, your family, and others safe. Specifically, it’s important to keep using your masks and maintaining social distancing measures.
Keep reading for the one mistake you shouldn’t make when COVID restrictions are relaxed.
Forgetting To Social Distance
Whether non-essential businesses and public spaces (like parks) are fully open or not, maintaining social distancing measures is crucial.
Business Insider explains the necessity of maintaining the 6-feet apart rule, quoting Michael Gunn, a professor of medicine at Duke University: "The people that are advocating that we eliminate social distancing right now and that we just completely open up the economy, what they're really advocating for is that every single person in this country become infected with coronavirus."
He continues, "Because that's what's going to happen if we throw things wide open. If you like your grandmother, you might not want to do that."
With that in mind, though the stay-at-home orders may be lifted, maintaining precautionary measures is a good idea.
According to the CDC, social distancing measures include: staying at least 6 feet apart, not gathering in groups, and staying out of crowded places/mass gatherings.
They explain, "[K]eeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and slowing its spread locally and across the country and world."
With that in mind, if you are heading to parks or non-essential businesses, make sure to keep your distance from others. Also, even if you are 6 feet apart, you should be wearing a mask.
The CDC explains, "Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering when around others, including when you have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store."