Social bubbles are groups of people that must be consistent for three weeks, not interacting with others outside the bubble closer than Social Distancing rules require. After three weeks, people may regroup in new bubbles as long as they are healthy. There is no break required between bubble periods.

A face covering is a mask or cloth face covering that covers your nose and mouth. The face covering should allow for breathing without restriction. There is no requirement to wear a hospital grade mask or other specific type or brand of face covering. You may wear a homemade face covering, if it fits closely and covers your nose and mouth.

For more specific information on how to make or care for your face covering, visit https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/masks.

No. The total number of people for one bubble should be 12 people. Therefore, a family of four should only add eight people.

It is permissible for an employer to require employees be tested for COVID and share their results with the employer, as long as the test is “job-related and consistent with business necessity.”

It is important that employees be virus-free when they come to work. Requiring testing and requiring employees to share the results is permissible. The employer must keep the employee medical information confidential and must maintain it separately from the employee’s personnel file.

No, housekeepers do not need to be part of your social bubble. Currently, the rules state that you should not be at home while your housekeeper is working so you should not have direct contact with him/her. Also, social bubbles are meant for outdoor activities at this point.

No, not when used by themselves (without a mask).  The purpose of face shields is to protect the facial area and eyes, nose and mouth from splashes, sprays or splatters of body fluids and are usually used by health care workers, dental providers, and other emergency medical providers.

Face shields are generally not used alone, but in conjunction with other protective equipment like a mask.

Face shields do not hug the face like a mask. Face shields used without masks still allow the respiratory droplets to escape because the shields are open on the sides and bottom.  In the sense of “my mask protects you, your mask protects me” a face shield used alone does not stop the flow of respiratory droplets like wearing an appropriate fitting mask or face covering does. 

It depends on the household situation of those 11 friends. For example, if one of the friends belongs to a household of four people, then the entire household (all four people) would need to join your bubble, not just the individual friend. Remember, social bubble membership is exclusive. So, in the off chance you’re “bubbling” with 11 other single (no children, live alone) adults, all of you would need to remain committed to stick with that same group for a minimum of three weeks.

Yes, but this is a higher-risk bubble. But please take your usual precautions with hand washing and sanitizing for the safety of your family and your social bubble friends. One tip: it’s important for people who create bubbles that include members at higher risk for serious illness to keep those bubbles as small as possible.

The success and failure of the social bubble concept depends not only on your personal actions but also everybody else. It’s about solidarity. Keeping our bubbles small and consistent is really important to prevent an increase in the number of infections and a stress on our health care providers and hospitals.  It’s best to be upfront about what levels of contact you expect to be having.  Set ground rules together, since your idea of proper contact may not be the same as someone else in your bubble.  Remember: their behavior impacts your health and vice versa.  

Technically, yes. But, it’s important to take precautions. Social bubbles are an excellent way to allow families across multiple households to come together once again. However, older adults are especially vulnerable to severe symptoms of COVID-19. Therefore, all members of a social bubble should continue to practice other protective measures of physical distancing, wearing face coverings, frequent hand washing, staying home when sick, and obeying isolation or quarantine guidelines if a member of the social bubble is diagnosed or exposed to COVID-19. People who are forming a bubble that includes people over 65 or those at high risk should consider a smaller-sized bubble with a very cautious approach to outside contact.

Depending on the activity that you and your social bubble are participating in, make sure you are in compliance with the California State guidelines for masks and face coverings. When in doubt, wear a face covering.

We suggest that you figure out what level of risk each social bubble member is comfortable with before agreeing to be in each other’s bubble. Make sure you are creating a social bubble with people you really trust so that everyone feels comfortable and safe. 

MORE INFORMATION

• Social Bubble - Frequently Asked Questions
• Social Bubble overview (English - PDF) (Spanish - PDF)

Child care or summer camp or youth activity bubbles are separate from household bubbles. This means that if you send your child to camp or preschool or other youth activity, you don't have to forgo bubbling with your extended family or friends. Your child can be in both bubbles. As of August 17, 2020, a child can participate in two bubbles outside their household (childcare or camp or youth activity) during any three week period. 

For more information, please visit our Marin Recovers website. 

No. One social bubble and one childcare or camp bubble only.

A social bubble is a stable group of 12 individuals or less, who can attend outdoor social or other outdoor events together. A social bubble may be made up of a combination of households, but no household or person may participate in more than one Social Bubble (except for children in childcare situations, explained below). Each member of the household must be counted as part of the same social bubble.

You can’t keep adding new people to the bubble or swapping in others. It’s important to keep the bubble small and make sure everyone is on the same page about health guidelines for the three-week timeframe. Therefore, you would have to wait until the end of the three-week period to add another family to the social bubble.