The risk levels of everyday activities like dining out, going to the gym, and getting a haircut, according to an infectious disease expert

A waiter takes an order at an outdoor terrace of a restaurant in Lebanon. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirMohamed Azakir/Reuters

• The risk of catching the coronavirus by venturing out of your house is not all or nothing.
• We spoke to Dr. Susan Hassig, an epidemiologist at Tulane University, to find out which activities are not too risky, and which you should try to avoid.
• Gatherings with groups of friends or family are risky, Hassig said.
• Catching the virus from opening mail or touching groceries is unlikely, she said.
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Coronavirus transmission is not black and white — some activities are riskier than others, while some should cause little worry.

As states start to reopen parts of their economies and people tire of an all-out quarantine, the risk level of various activities should be considered to make decisions about what's safe and what should be avoided.

Harvard Medical School professor Julia Marcus recently argued in The Atlantic that we should remember risk is not binary, and an abstinence-only approach — like that used in some sex education — won't help. "Likewise, asking Americans to abstain from nearly all in-person social contact will not hold the coronavirus at bay — at least not forever," she wrote.

So we spoke to Dr. Susan Hassig, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, about the risk of going out to eat, gathering with friends, or opening mail.

While different activities are riskier than others by nature, you should always wear a mask when possible and try to keep a distance of 6 feet from others.

Actions like social distancing and wearing a mask (or the lack thereof) can alter risk level significantly.

Here's what you should consider about various activities as restrictions start to lift across the country.