The CDC broke its months-long silence to outline 3 rules of thumb for staying safe from coronavirus at the gym, library, and cookouts

The considerations hinge on three main factors: how close will you get to other people, how long will the interaction last, and how big will the crowd be?
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broke a three-month-long silence on Friday, when the agency released some tips for how to decide when and how to venture out of your home, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"As we reopen America, CDC, like the scientific and public health institutions around the world, continue to learn a great deal about this new virus," CDC Director Robert Redfield said, in the agency's first open teleconference with reporters since March 9. "We focus on how it's spread among people, how it's highly transmissible, and how people who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic can also contribute to spreading."

For those reasons, the CDC is still urging people to use caution when they leave the house, and continue social distancing, handwashing, and wearing face masks.

"We're all getting tired of staying at home," Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director of infectious diseases said on the call.

Because the virus spreads best when people get together, Butler said any interaction with others inevitably carries "some degree of risk right now."

"Here's a general rule of thumb," he said. "The more closely you interact with others, the longer the interaction lasts, and the greater the number of people involved in the interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread."

Butler also outlined a few examples of what to do when you're ready to go out to eat, exercise, or share time with friends:

"When dining out, see if there's an option to sit outside, or ensure that tables are at least six feet apart so you can maintain social distancing," he said.

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Here are Butler's other tips:

"If you hit the gym, don't share items that can't be cleaned or sanitized after use, and refrain from high fives and elbow bumps, which involve getting closer than six feet to others"
"If your local library is open, see if curbside pickup is available."
"If you want to gather with friends for a cookout, as much as possible, use single-serve options and remind guests to wash their hands before and after eating. Maintain social distancing, wear cloth face coverings when possible, practice hand hygiene and avoid sharing frequently touched items."

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