From whether you should use disposable utensils to how to social distance outside, here?s our best advice for entertaining during coronavirus. Eve

Welcome to House Rules, Curbed?s advice column; today, our columnist answers questions about our relationships with our neighbors. (The last column explored getting along with your neighbors while sheltering in place.) Other house-related dilemmas" Fill out the question form.

Can I have friends over for dinner"
I?m going to say a provisional yes.
After over three months of total self-isolation in which I went without any IRL social interaction at all, I understand the importance of spending time with friends and loved ones. In the last month or so I?ve hosted and attended several outdoor dinner parties, from a low-key meal with takeout dumplings on paper plates (I hosted) to a multi-course home-cooked extravaganza with cloth tablecloths and fresh floral centerpieces (my friend hosted), and each gathering has felt deeply soul-restoring and even essential. That said, COVID is as deadly as ever, and this pandemic is far from over. We simply can?t afford to go back to sharing meals or spending time with friends and family in the same ways we used to.
It?s not an exaggeration to say that the choices we make about socializing this summer have life-and-death stakes, not just for us but for everyone we come into contact with. It?s extremely important to get it right.

Does it matter if we?re indoors or outdoors&qu...