As COVID-safety standards evolve in the next weeks or months, I recommend the following principles of non-jerkitude:

Be open. Don’t hide your vaccination status. Don’t hide a positive test result. Even if you think these things don’t matter now that COVID caseloads are declining, others might disagree. Respecting others means letting them know what risks you bring so that they can respond according to their own comfort level.

Adhere to rule and custom. If the supermarket requires masks, wear a mask, even if you think it’s silly. People less tolerant of COVID risk still need to work and shop, and they rely on others’ compliance with policy in deciding when, where, and how to appear in public. For the same reason, even if there’s no explicit rule, don’t be the one person violating customary precautions.

Be willing to compromise. Maybe you think that children should start playing together again without restriction, but another parent in your playdate group feels more cautious. Try respectful conversation aimed at compromise. Can you discover a mutually acceptable set of standards? I should stress here that COVID-cautious people can also be COVID jerks by insisting too stridently on precautions that others find excessive rather than respectfully considering alternative points of view.