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Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the hottest R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, we got releases from Tinashe who dropped off her new single “Rascal (Superstar),” Pink Sweats with The Prelude EP as something for his fans ahead of his debut album and Jhene Aiko came through with Chilombo Deluxe. Check out the rest of the best new R&B this week below.

Tinashe — “Rascal (Superstar)”

At the request of her fans, Tinashe delivered her latest single “Rascal (Superstar)” and a quarantine-inspired Jasper Soloff-directed music video to go with it. “When we initially created this record, I went live on Instagram from my home studio and played it,” Tinashe said via e-mail. “The vibes and energy were so infectious that It felt right to share, spontaneously.” It’s the first single fans have gotten from the singer since her 2019 project Songs For You.

Pink Sweats — The Prelude EP

Pink Sweats is gearing up to drop his debut album, but before he serves his first full-length piece of work to all his supporters the Philly crooner has dropped off a sweet short stack of songs in the form of The Prelude EP. The collection of songs includes his previously released tracks “17” and “Not Alright.”

Jhene Aiko — Chilombo Deluxe

The deluxe edition Jhene Aiko‘s Chilombo has arrived with nine unreleased sexually healing jams and remixes, including “B.S.” with Kehlani and “Tryna Smoke” featuring Chris Brown and Snoop Dogg. Jhene and her sister Mila J even connected for the freaky tale “On The Way.”

Radiant Children — “Mariposa”

Radiant Children has plans on releasing their new project in October and ahead of its release, the trio has been dropping off musical gems after musical gems. This week, “Mariposa” arrived.

They. — “Play Fight” Feat. Tinashe

Off The Amanda Tape, R&B dyad They. and the talented Tinashe unite for “Play Flight” accompanied by a very cool “relationship simulator” visual and now fans get to hear the song in its entirety. It’s a love song dripping in devotion and yearning.

Kara Marni — “Young Heart” Feat. Russ

British singer Kara Marni reflects on a fresh break-up with her latest single “Young Heart” featuring Russ. Along with the release of the song is a fun 8-bit video, created by renowned animator Ivan Dixon of Studio Showoff. “Young Heart” follows Kara Marni’s 2019 project Logic.

Tash Sultana — “Greed”

Tash Sultana really impresses with her latest release “Greed.” It’s all her playing multiple instruments, including the drums and guitar, with the grace of her soulful voice. The black and white visual was filmed at her Melbourne studio as she puts the finishing touches on her forthcoming album.

Boylife — Church/Boston EP

Boylife‘s recently released double single Church/Boston is really good. It’s moody, raw, and melodic while living in the vein of an emerging new sound that expresses vocal emotions in a fresh way. “Church,” really does take you to the pulpit and “Boston” has a spacey vibe that allows for listeners to marinate in its vibrant trance.

Your Grandparents — “So Damn Fly”

DaCosta, Jean Carter, and producer ghettoblasterman, also known as Your Grandparents, came together for a fresh R&B goodie titled “So Damn Fly.” The group describes the song as “an ode to the unapologetically beautiful, black, and bold youth of today.” It’s the follow-up to their eclectic breakout debut EP Been Cold.

Check out this week’s R&B picks, plus more on Uproxx’s Spotify playlist below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Add comic book writer to Keanu Reeves‘ rapidly growing list of talents.

Debuting in October from Boom! Studios, BRZRKR is a 12-issue limited series from Reeves and co-writer Matt Kindt that features art from Alessandro Vitti. The story will focus on Berzerker, the half-human son of a war god who has lived for over 80,000 years and has reached a tentative deal with the government where he performs brutal mercenary missions in exchange for help in figuring out what he truly is. But, of course, there will be double-crosses and subterfuge along the way as the two sides slowly reveal their ulterior motives.

Naturally, Boom! Studios is excited to work with the actor on bringing his vision to comic book life, and it turns out Reeves is a damn good storyteller. Via USA Today:

Working with Reeves has been “immensely cool,” says Boom! editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon. “Spend five minutes with Keanu and it becomes clear very quickly why he’s earned all the success he has. Exceptional creative instincts, deep reservoirs of wisdom on story, the ability to consistently tap into the raw emotion of a moment, relentless commitment to quality and the task at hand – it’s all this and much more that make Keanu an inspiring force.”

In its exclusive preview of BRZRKR, USA Today can’t help but note that Berserker looks an awful lot like Reeves, and the actor didn’t even try to hide his enthusiasm when asked if the immortal warrior could become his next action character thanks to Boom! Studios’ first-look deal with Netflix. “I’d love to play Berzerker!” Reeves exclaimed during a Skype call from Berlin.

In the meantime, Reeves’ next creative endeavor is yet another foray into dominating all forms of media. This fall, the actor will appear in Cyberpunk 2077, the highly-anticipated new game from CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the award-winning The Witcher III.

(Via USA Today)

20-year-old songwriter Mxmtoon has only been out of high school for a few years but she’s already managed to make a name for herself with a catalog of introspective and lovelorn ballads. Following her debut full-length effort The Masquerade, Mxmtoon shared a handful of songs in the form of her recently-released EP Dawn. Because she can’t tour behind the project, the singer has gifted her fans more music through a handful of Dawn remixes including an alternate version of “1, 2” featuring rising singer Chloe Moriondo.

For the remix, Mxmtoon and Moriondo strip back the song’s layers and reimagine its instrumentals by replacing poppy synths with a warm-toned guitar riff. Moriondo inflects the track with her soaring back-up vocals, adding a shimmering edition to the refined number.

In a previous statement alongside her EP’s announcement, Mxmtoon said she practices being present through songwriting:

“My mind constantly runs rampant with questions about myself, my relationships, and my place in the world. One thing I’ve tried to be better at as the years have gone by though, is letting go. The ability to let yourself live in the moment rather than worrying all the time can be difficult, but to remember that each day is simply an opportunity to grow and learn is a lesson we all have to face. Life is full of teachable moments, and allowing yourself the space to make mistakes and to become better from those is vital.”

Listen to Mxmtoon’s “1, 2” remix above.

Dawn (The Edits) is out now via AWAL. Get it here.

Space is the next frontier in the action movie realm, with the Fast And Furious franchise seemingly headed to the outer reaches of Earth’s gravitational pull if you like to read the tea leaves of interviews with Ludacris. With Tom Cruise apparently headed to space to actually film a movie, it seems a genuine space race is on five decades after the United States won the first space race in reaching the moon.

But despite a very literal goal to reach space for another action star — Danny Trejo’s Machete — it doesn’t seem like he will win the Hollywood space race anytime soon. Trejo sat down with Discussing Film to, well, talk about the 10th anniversary of Machete and how our perception of time is increasingly warped in this reality. They also discuss the much-hyped but not very written Machete Kills Again… In Space, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be making much progress right now.

The movie has been rumored to be in the works for years, and it was given the “Coming Attractions” treatment in the Machete sequel — 2013’s Machete Kills Again — but there hasn’t been much progress in the years since. In the interview, he joked that if director Robert Rodriguez “would ever get off his ass, he’d write Machete Kills in Space!” then joked again that he might just write it himself. So it certainly doesn’t sound like Machete is winning the space race. In fact, Rodriguez and his Machete haven’t even spoken in a while according to the movie’s star.

You know I haven’t spoken to Robert in a while. He’s been really busy and I’ve been busy. Maybe I’ll call him, see what’s up. But I haven’t talked to Robert for a while. He kind of dumped me I think… I got too big (laughs). He’s great. But he’s busy, he’s got six kids. That will keep you busy. His kids are wonderful too.

Hopefully he hasn’t really “dumped” Trejo, as fans are certainly eager for the final movie of what’s likely a trilogy. The rest of the interview is delightful, with Trejo reveling in killing Steven Segal in an already-existing Machete and working on the new SpongeBob SquarePants movie. For fans of his Grindhouse work, though, these are all just distractions until the real work can begin in orbit.

[via Discussing Film]

One of the main concerns going into the NBA restart was whether it would distract from the nationwide protests for social justice. After George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, citizens across the country took to the streets to demand justice and an end to police brutality. Many NBA stars have taken front and center in the fight for police reform over the past two months, and a vocal contingent even expressed their apprehensions about whether it was right to participate in the Orlando bubble amid the turmoil that was happening in American cities.

The vast majority of players eventually decided to join the restart, partially as a way of using that platform to promote the cause for social reform. The league itself is on board with bringing that message to fans, although they issued the final decision on what types of phrases could be worn on the backs of players’ jerseys when the games begin later this month.

Not everyone is impressed with that plan. Nuggets guard Will Barton, for instance, said Friday that messages on jerseys won’t go nearly far enough to contribute to the ongoing fight for social justice.

And Barton isn’t the only one who’s underwhelmed by the idea of messages on jerseys. Normal Powell, for instance, didn’t like the fact that the league had final say over what types of messages players could ware and criticized the “cookie-cutter” nature of the approved phrases.

LeBron James himself has decided to forego any of those phrases and just stick with his last name, hinting that, while he had considered wearing certain phrases on his uniform, he wasn’t part of the decision-making process of what would be approved. Still, many players will indeed wear messages on their jerseys when the games kick off in Orlando, and we can certainly expect the movement to extend well beyond that as the national television platform will offer numerous opportunities to make their voices heard.

The National vocalist Matt Berninger revealed he was working on a solo album about a year-and-a-half ago. The project remained relatively under wraps until May when he officially announced the record Serpentine Prison. Now, the singer follows up the album’s title track with yet another preview of the solo work, “Distant Axis.”

In a statement alongside the single, Berninger said “Distant Axis” was inspired by his collaborations with The Walkmen’s Walter Martin:

“I met Walter Martin fifteen years ago when The National opened for The Walkmen on a tour of sh*tty clubs in the American Southeast. On that tour I learned a lot about how to be in a band without ruining your life. I also learned a lot about Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. Walt and I have stayed friends and about three years ago we started passing ideas back and forth. ‘Distant Axis’ started from a sketch Walt sent me named ‘Savannah.’ I think it’s about falling out of touch with someone or something you once thought would be there forever.”

Serpentine Prison was produced and arranged by Booker T. Jones who previously said in a profile by the New York Times: “Berninger wanted someone who could corral nearly 20 guest musicians, and someone who could provide the late-night, timeless atmosphere.” Jones was successful in attracting a huge number of musicians to contribute to the project including Andrew Bird, Mike Brewer, Hayden Desser, several other frequent The National collaborators.

Watch Berninger’s “Distant Axis” above.

Serpentine Prison is out 10/2 via Book Records.

Veteran R&B singer and reality TV star Tamar Braxton was reportedly rushed to the hospital late last night after a suspected suicide attempt. TMZ reported the star’s hospitalization after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 Thursday night around 10pm saying that he’d found her unconscious in their room at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Downtown LA. TMZ’s sources further report that he told police that Braxton had threatened suicide earlier that day and that she may have overdosed on prescription pills and alcohol.

Braxton, who starred with her sisters Toni, Towanda, Traci, and Trina in the musical quintet The Braxtons, was also a fixture of the WeTV show Braxton Family Values since the show began airing in 2011. Tamar was the star of her own spin-off, Tamar & Vince, for five seasons. Braxton was also a host of the talk show The Real for three seasons and last year, was the winner of the reality competition show Celebrity Big Brother, making her the first Black person to win a Big Brother competition in the US.

Her last solo album was 2017’s Bluebird of Happiness and she and Adefeso costar on their own YouTube show called Coupled & Quarantined. Braxton was set to star in yet another WeTV show, Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life, at the end of the month. A sneak peek provided by WeTV teased a July 30 premiere, which is now uncertain.

See the sneak peek of the show above.

Of all the players on the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster, J.R. Smith has the most experience playing with LeBron James, which gives him a fascinating perspective on what is similar or different about this incarnation of James.

In a media call on Friday, Smith explained a certain freedom and calm he’s noticed in James since joining the Lakers in the Orlando bubble, noting how being in the City of Angels may actually take pressure off James.

Smith called James’ ability to cede control to coaches and become comfortable not micro-managing each moment of the game “a testament to him growing.” The veteran guard played with James in Cleveland from 2015-18, and watched David Blatt come and go during a streak of four straight NBA Finals appearances. In Los Angeles alongside Anthony Davis, perhaps James is settling into a more loose back end of his career.

Without Rajon Rondo, who is out six to eight weeks with a hand injury, and Avery Bradley, who chose to sit out the NBA restart to be with his family during the pandemic, the Lakers may need to rely on Smith to contribute as spot-up shooter and defender, a role he filled capably with the Cavaliers. It’s a testament to James’ patience and brilliance that the Lakers are comfortable plugging Smith and Dion Waiters into the rotation heading into the playoffs, but it’s exactly the sort of growth Smith observes here.

By now, Cardi B is a pro at fielding most of the odd things social media throws her way. Slick comments from fans, political commentators, and rival rappers usually slide right off her. But every once in a while, something comes along that is so strange, even the normally unfazed Cardi has no idea how to react.

That’s what happened today when a fan shared a Cameo video of a Tiger King star singing Cardi’s song “Best Life” as a birthday message to the fan’s father. Cameo is an app that allows fans to request personalized messages from celebrities, and while the names available to choose from are recognizable, they are understandably not exactly A-listers. The fan in question must be a big fan of Tiger King, as she seems to have requested the show’s quasi-antagonist, Carole Baskin, to sing “Best Life” from Cardi’s debut album Invasion Of Privacy to a stuffed tiger before telling the addressee happy birthday with her signature “Hi, all you cool cats and kittens” greeting.

Spookily enough, Baskin also congratulates Claire’s dad on his recent divorce(!). Cardi B, who is a noted fan of the wild show, wasn’t quite sure what to make of the video, offering up a nonplussed “Wait a damn minute” response before hoping, “Ya better not be plotting on me,” a clear reference to Tiger King‘s titular Joe Exotic‘s constant insistence that Baskin killed her ex-husband and fed him to a tiger. It looks like even Cardi can be caught off guard and has a little paranoid streak of her own as a result of her love of the show.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Like it or not, there are a lot of people hitting the road right now. With international travel pretty much cut off for the foreseeable future, Americans — stir crazy from months in quarantine — are taking to the highways. Some of these folks are visiting loved ones who’ve been isolated for months. Others are hitting up National Parks or BLM land to get away from crowded cities. Others still are traveling the roads to go and help the relief efforts in areas with spiking outbreaks of COVID-19.

Whether or not you think people should be moving around the country is almost beside the point right now. People are. In fact, many are doing so with an aggressive lack of care. And though every decision to travel is different, the more information you have straight from scientists the more pragmatic you’re likely to be.

To help add insight and outline the risks for anyone considering a road trip (think three-hour jaunts and microadventures), we spoke with Karl E. Minges, Ph.D., MPH. Minges is an assistant professor and the chair of Health Administration and Policy at the University of New Haven and a thought leader in the systems-based health community. To help you make travel decisions that will positively affect your community, we asked Minges about how to prepare for a manageable road trip, what to do on the road, and how to proceed when you arrive in a new destination. We also touched on mask use and reuse, disinfecting gas station toilets, and where to get reliable COVID-19 numbers.

What’s your overall view of the safety of doing a road trip when it comes to contact points, for instance? It’s pretty much impossible to be completely “contact-free” but how can we be safe out there?

I mean, I think what you’re saying is backed by data. There’s a study that looks at a sub-sample of people across the United States based on mobility. People enroll in the study and they tap into their cell phones. That gives the researchers a sample of people and how they move. What they’ve shown is that basically people are almost, state-by-state, at their pre-pandemic level of travel, in terms of mobility. So people are putting on more and more miles on their cars and traveling further and further.

There was a huge drop off in travel when everything was shut down and now it’s picked up to almost the pre-pandemic levels. Why that’s scary is because infection rates are also increasing in most states of the United States. And so that’s something I’m fearful of because I think there’s going to be a rapid risk of increasing infection rates with increasing travel.

However, that doesn’t mean that the two are correlated because there’s a lot of states, like Connecticut for example, that are actually seeing declines in the number of cases, hospitalizations, and mortality rates. Not every state is following the same trend line. So to correlate mobility and travel with rising infection rates isn’t necessarily true or a fair correlation. I think there’s a lot more that’s going on behind the scenes.

So, I’m seeing a lot of fellow travel writers out on the open road right now. Should I be worried about them?

The research is showing us that the more stops people make for a road trip, the less likely they are to engage in public health guidelines in terms of preventing COVID. So for example, they’re going to be less likely to engage in wearing face masks, washing hands, proper hand hygiene, maintaining social distance.

So, the longer people are traveling on their road trip, the less likely they are to engage in those important guidelines for reducing the risk of transfusion of COVID. But people can still be vigilant. To be completely contact-free is possible, but very hard.

I even actually just took a road trip to visit family in Pennsylvania, which was about an eight-hour drive. It’s hard to go to use restrooms, things like that, and not engage with people at all. You really have to time it or travel at unusual times of the day or at night to circumvent a lot of contact with individuals.

Travel is precarious because people are traveling from all over the place. Some people will be from states that have 30 percent net positivity rates to states that are declining in terms of positivity rates. So there’s a lot of variation. But the point is, is that you never know where people are traveling from or what protocols they could be following.

We observed on our road trip that even if it doesn’t say you have to wear a mask in a convenience store in Western Pennsylvania, probably half of the people — anecdotally — were actually wearing face masks. But, that’s an order based on what the governor’s protocols are right now.

What would be the main thing that you would look for in deciding whether or not to go somewhere?

Oh, you definitely have a look at the COVID transmission rate. What’s the net positivity? What’s the number of new cases that are being indicated per day? And in Connecticut, we are now quarantining travelers from about 16 states that have high COVID rates. And I would not be traveling to any of those places.

Given the news about the White House defanging the CDC from getting and releasing correct numbers on COVID, where is a good source for you to find the best numbers? The New York Times? The CDC still? State health authorities?

I would actually go to Johns Hopkins. They have a tremendous resource for tracking COVID that pools all kinds of data. They’ve really been a leader in the COVID transmission tracking.

Any of those other sources you mentioned are also valuable. It just sort of depends on where you want to go for your news. I’ve actually steered away from the CDC in general, and I have advised my students, friends, and colleagues to do that as well. Ultimately, the CDC is a political organization because its leaders are appointed by the federal government. So I think using third party sources is probably better.

So once you figure out if it’s realistically safe to travel somewhere, what would you say are the most important things to have in the car?

• You definitely need to make sure you have hand sanitizer, in case you do go into locations that don’t have active sinks.
• You want to make sure that you have several cotton masks. You should really only use it once and then wash it. If you have surgical masks, make sure you have a bag to dispose of them properly.
• You would want to be sure to stock up on items from your home so you can limit the number of times that you have to stop. So for example, pack sandwiches and have bottles of water with you.

Can I ask for clarification there? So, I’ve heard you should only wear your mask once and then wash it. What does “wear once” mean? Because for some people they might see that as, “Well, I went to the grocery store and back. That was ‘once.’ Or I wore it all day and that was ‘once.’” What’s the sweet spot there?

Anytime you’re in a public setting and potentially breathing in potential aerosols that could contain COVID — so basically anytime you’re in a place where you see people who are walking around and you cannot practice the social distancing — then you would dispose of the mask immediately after that point.

I do understand that that is not common practice because masks are expensive, especially surgical masks, and they’re hard to get ahold of. And now they’re saying that because of the recent COVID outbreaks in the South and West of the United States to reduce your reliance on surgical masks and instead continue to use cloth masks.

And in terms of the surgical masks, think about it as your surgeon, right? They wear the mask during one procedure. They take it off and throw it away. They don’t use it for multiple patients.

And so they’re not meant to withstand months of use. They are disposable in that way. So definitely get some cloth masks, several of them.

Okay, so we’ve packed our car with sandwiches, water, and our hygiene kit. We’re on the road and running low on gas. How would you go about dealing with that situation safely?

So far as pumping the gas, I would use gloves because, again, people are traveling perhaps from states that have high levels of COVID transmissions. If they don’t have gloves at your disposal, use a napkin or something like that to access the gas nozzle.

In terms of using the restroom, I always have a Ziploc bag full of Clorox wipes because they don’t sell them in small, convenient packaging. Or at least, I haven’t seen any. So I think having a Ziploc bag of wipes is valuable to bring with you anywhere, especially if you’re going to use a restroom on the road. You don’t know if the frequency with which these rest stops are cleaned, especially given our economic circumstances. There are perhaps people being laid off who typically do that kind of work.

Do you think full-service gas stations are going to make a comeback because it will lower contact points?

No, I don’t think that. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a gas station for extra salaries for employees that they don’t want to pay for. But interestingly, when we stopped in New Jersey, which is a full-service state, the guy pumping the gas there didn’t have a mask on. And I was like, “Eh…” I thought, “you’re interacting with people all the time. If you’re outside, you’re within that six-foot window, so it’s very possible that someone rolls down their window and they sneeze on you or cough or something and you could be exposed to the virus that way.”

Being aware of what gas station attendants, as well as convenience store clerks, are doing in terms of practicing appropriate risk reduction methods is very important. Maybe don’t stop there if they’re not wearing masks or wearing gloves or are not behind a clear plexiglass shield. Being mindful of those kinds of things around you and who you’re engaging with is important.

In that circumstance that we ran into, we just rolled down the window very slightly and just kind of slipped out the credit card and made sure to sanitize the credit card front and back when we got it back.

Let’s say we need to do stop for food. The likelihood of a restaurant being open seems slim at the moment, given that a lot of stuff is shutting down again. So a grocery store is more likely your stop. What’s the etiquette you follow?

So far as going anywhere where you’re going to interface with the public, do it at the odd time. Go early in the morning. Go late in the evening. So during the weekday when fewer people are likely to be there. Minimize the risk of exposing yourself to someone that has COVID. I think that’s really important and safe advice to follow.

Then in terms of best practices, here in Connecticut — and this is not uniform — they clean the carts for you. There’s someone there who has a clean cart ready to give you. So in the absence of that, it would be valuable to bring your own wipes in a Ziploc bag and clean the grocery cart.

So far, evidence hasn’t shown that you should be disinfecting and cleaning every single grocery item that you buy. It will be valuable to have gloves on. Of course, you should have your face mask on. And then use wipes and proceed from there.

There’s going to be people that are much younger that don’t have as many risk factors for really extreme symptoms. So they may practice this differently. They may not wear gloves. For example, I don’t wear gloves when I go out because COVID transmission is really more aerosol-based than living on the surface of a product. I know that. But for anyone who’s vulnerable, you have to be as vigilant as you possibly can to reduce the risk of transmission, and that might mean wearing gloves too.

So you arrive at your destination, what would your routine be for when you actually arrive? Do you completely clean your car out, top to bottom? New clothes? Disinfectant shower?

Odds are you have not been visiting a hospital or a place where there’s going to be a significant number of people with COVID. So I don’t think it’s necessary that you kind of wash your clothes, jump in the shower, or sanitize your whole car.

The number one thing I would do if visiting someone is to make sure that the people you’re visiting have no symptoms. It’s also important to make sure that they’ve been in isolation or quarantining to a reasonable extent.

Two, I would engage with them what they’re comfortable with and conform to how they’ve been isolating. There’s going to be the level of risks that you’re going to have to negotiate. This all should really be determined before the trip. Who are you visiting and what is their level of exposure before you take that trip?

In terms of public health protocols once you arrive, sanitize your hands, wear a mask, and maintain a distance of six feet. It may be uncomfortable or awkward, especially in an indoor setting. But if that’s what’s going to prevent the spread and you haven’t been tested or you are uncomfortable with their isolation, or lack thereof, or potential exposure points, then engage in the mask-wearing and glove-wearing.

So let’s say you have to stay in a hotel, what would you look for when you went into a hotel for cleanliness and safety?

That’s a tough question. I would avoid hotels, to be honest. But if you have to, you just want to make sure that you can get as clear of a sense of the cleanliness of visibility as possible.

Do your due diligence. Is the front clerk wearing a face mask? What their cleaning protocols? How do they assure that the room that you are in is clean? How long do they allow the room to aerate or be vacant before the next guest arrives? Is there a time for the virus to die?

If you want to go to an extra degree of precaution, you can even bring one of those Clorox sprays. They’ve been pretty effective in killing the virus. If you are feeling uncomfortable, you can go the extra step and you can disinfect the bathroom too. And if that makes you more comfortable, then I think that’s a fine practice to do. It’s certainly not going to hurt.

On the flip side of that, you can go camping. The same sort of rules apply. Keep your distance. Wear a mask if you’re around people. I mean, it’s camping. The whole point is to be away from people.

Exactly. I think camping is a great alternative to traditional hotels and places like amusement parks and things like that. It’s a good alternative.

There are still places that aren’t testing unless you show symptoms. Would you recommend getting tested before and after you travel?

Well, we know that approximately 30 percent of people who get COVID are asymptomatic and you can actually be infectious when you’re pre-symptomatic even if you become symptomatic. Plus, you’re infectious post-symptomatic up to 14 days later. So there’s a tremendous risk there.

So far as traveling, I think if you have to travel to visit people that have had a positive COVID test — or you’re visiting a state that has a high net positivity — then it wouldn’t be bad advice to get tested when you come home.

So far as testing beforehand, if you’re coming from a state, again, that has high positivity rates, I would say you get tested. If I was going to be accepting a guest from one of the highly hit states at the moment, then I would also ask to be tested before visiting. The test is very quick and easy. It’s generally 24 to 48 hours you get a response. Some places are rapid testing, which is where you just sort of sit in your car and get your results in an hour. Then some states have very long lines and it’s tedious.

The bottom line is that if you feel like you’ve been exposed in any way to COVID, you should get tested. If you visit family in a rural part of the state where there’s very low rates or the risk of infection is very low plus you’ve both been isolated and practicing proper prevention guidelines, then I don’t think a test is that necessary.