How to be safe when your home needs repairs during the coronavirus pandemic

Life happens, even during a pandemic. The washing machine breaks, the sink leaks, the stove goes cold. For months, you’ve been limiting house guests. But this is different: You need a service technician. Having someone breach your safe space is not without risk, so it needs to be done carefully.

Six feet is the rule for safe distancing outdoors. Inside, because there’s not as much air flowing, it’s best to stay “as far away from that individual as you can get,” said infectious-disease expert John Swartzberg, professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health. “I would wear a mask so I wouldn’t infect the service person, and I’d expect them to wear a mask, so they wouldn’t infect me. I’d ask them to be extremely careful about what they touch, and I’d want them to have washed their hands or put hand sanitizer on before they even come into my house.”