For the most part we’re social creatures. We want to be listened to, spoken to, drank with, all that good stuff. And from the second the first stay-at-home order was issued in March, it became only a matter of time before we broke containment to hang out with our friends again.

The good news is there are safe and sane ways to do it. Phase 2 of Nevada’s reopening road map allows for gatherings of up to 50 people, and an outdoor gathering, wholly appropriate for this time of year, is a relatively safe way to have one.

I’ve personally been to several backyard gatherings since March—we generally enter through the side gate, sit a generous distance from each other and take care in walking past one another on our way to the food or wine, turning our heads away and/or re-donning our masks.

Dr. Brian Labus of UNLV’s School of Public Health, whose research is primarily focused on communicable diseases, offers a few more safety tips for outdoor meetups. “Basically, the smaller the gathering, the better,” he says. “Even though you’re outside, the more people you have, the more likely you are to come in close contact with them. [And] masking is an important part of that, because it’s not easy to keep a safe distance, especially as the groups get larger.”

In short: A small handful of people sitting in garden chairs, six to 10 feet apart, is OK; a birthday party of a couple dozen people walking around and interacting closely should mask up.

And don’t worry so much about grabbing a bottle or serving spoon someone else has touched, Labus says. “Those things aren’t really high-risk. Take hand sanitizer, and use it before you eat. That’s a minor risk compared to the interaction between people.”

In a like manner, hosts needn’t worry about glasses and plates guests have used, provided they wash their hands thoroughly after handling them (though Labus adds that paper plates and plastic cups are a good choice “just for the convenience”). All told, these are small prices to pay to protect our friends and maintain our sanity.