The greater the number of people who don’t follow the guidelines set by science, the more my life is at risk and the more your life is at risk and the more everyone’s life is at risk. Your question can be asked about the 30 year old woman at the grocery store without a mask, or the big indoor party your neighbor throws — it’s not about any single situation putting us in extreme danger but the cumulative risk we are exposed to throughout this time. Thresholds have to be set and followed for any rules, they might seem arbitrary, but a line has to be drawn somewhere and then followed.

Your question could easily be used for drunk driving... Do you think your life is in danger by someone driving on the same road as you with a blood alcohol content .001% above the legal limit? If so, do you not feel that your life is in danger by someone driving on the same road as you with a blood alcohol content .001% below the legal limit? Just because a threshold doesn’t hold up as an exact match for “feeling safe” doesn’t mean we should not set thresholds.

If these were questions about personal risk, then sure, leave it up to the individual to make their own decisions. But COVID transmission risk, just like drunk driving risk, aren’t just personal risks — we are all put in danger by the actions of others.