DEAR HARRIETTE: My next-door neighbor is very chatty and used to come over all the time -- too much for my liking -- after work to chat. I shut that down after the lockdown started, which made her angry. She said that since we live next door to each other, we should be safe. But she doesn’t stay home -- she can’t. She works for the city and has to go to work every day. To me, that means she could be exposed to anything.

My family and I have been staying inside almost every day. We only go out to get groceries, and we are careful not to interact with anyone. I don’t want to hurt my neighbor’s feelings, but I do not want to let her in my house. How can I get her to back off? -- Boundaries

DEAR BOUNDARIES: Call your neighbor on the phone and tell her you need to talk. Point out how uncomfortable it is to have to socially distance even when you are living so close to each other, but make it clear that you do not want her to visit face-to-face right now. Thank her for her service as a front-line worker. Tell her how much you appreciate that she makes the choice to go out each day to do her job, which is beneficial for all of us. Add that her daily exposure to other people puts her at risk of being in contact with the coronavirus.

Since you and your family have been vigilant about staying home except as absolutely necessary, you do not feel comfortable exposing any of them to anyone, especially someone who has to be out in the thick of things every day. This disease is invisible, but we do know that it is spread from person to person when those people are in close proximity to each other.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Tongue Tied wrote to you about how to reach out to a neighbor during the COVID-19 outbreak. She wanted to tell him that she liked him a lot and thought it could be a good time to say something to him. Your advice was to invite him over for dinner and to talk, but not to disclose how much she liked him. While I agree that the conversation should not begin with her disclosure of how much she liked him, the dinner invitation is completely contrary to public health advice. Would you consider an amendment in your next column? -- Protect Yourself

DEAR PROTECT YOURSELF: Good catch! Even when I am working to be conscious of our new reality, I made a major faux pas. My apologies. Perhaps Tongue Tied can invite him for a virtual drink or dinner. She might even make a drink or dish that she can offer him -- takeout -- and then the two of them can use videoconferencing to consume whatever the goody is while talking. For sure, they should limit their exposure to each other. If they decide to share a dish or drink, they can organize it the way that delivery services do by leaving the package outside their door so that they maintain complete social distancing.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a wonderful nanny who has been taking care of my daughter for three years. When the quarantine began, we told her not to come to work because that was the rule. We continued to pay her. Since that time, I have lost my job. No one knows when these restrictions will end, and my husband and I don't think we can continue to pay her salary. We love her and know she counts on this money, but we are quickly depleting our savings. We didn't declare her salary on our taxes, so I don't think she is eligible for unemployment insurance. How should we handle this? -- Losing the Nanny

DEAR LOSING THE NANNY: Sadly, there are thousands of families in your position. Paying workers under the table, so to speak, has always been dangerous -- and illegal -- even though it is a common practice. The reality is that if you did not declare your nanny as an employee and pay the proper payroll taxes for her, she cannot receive unemployment insurance now. If you can no longer afford to pay your nanny, talk to her and explain your circumstances. Let her know that because of your life changes, you cannot continue to pay her.

For those who did declare their nannies, housekeepers or other workers, there are provisions in the Emergency Paid Leave Act of 2020 that require employers to pay any workers diagnosed with COVID-19 with two weeks' pay if they are quarantined by doctor's orders, with the promise of being reimbursed by the government. To learn more, go to bit.ly/NANNYCARE.

DEAR HARRIETTE: The city put up scaffolding in front of my building several months ago. No work is going on now, but what has happened is that homeless people are gathering under there. I've seen drug deals go down and bags snatched. I don't live in a so-called bad neighborhood. It's a combination of the scaffolding, which is offering cover, and the rising unemployment rates -- or at least that's what I think. Whatever the reasons, I'm nervous about leaving my building. What can I do to protect myself? -- Unsafe

DEAR UNSAFE: Speak to your building management about ramping up security around your building. Call a meeting of your tenants association to gather forces to complain formally to the building and to create a plan of action. Sign a petition with a list of grievances and present them to the landlord.

Document everything you see and share images and stories with building management and with the local police. Build a relationship with your local police precinct so that they become more aware of what's happening in your building and neighborhood -- and so that they care. Send photos of illicit activity to 311.

Consider instituting neighborhood watch tactics with the other residents. If you need more eyes to ensure that tenants are safe, do it for yourselves until you can get the building to do it for you. Arrange shifts when people stand guard, preferably in pairs, to help ensure safe passage as residents go in and out. Be vigilant.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: Since we have been living in quarantine, my older sister and brother have come back to live with us. I went into my sister's room the other day and noticed that she had a stash of weed and pills in her room. I don't want to be a tattletale, but it kind of freaked me out. She has been acting weird, but I just thought she was mad because she had to stay with us instead of at college. Weed is one thing, but she had Oxy too. I think I should tell my mother, but I don't want to cause a huge family fight. What should I do? -- Troubled Sister

DEAR TROUBLED SISTER: Trust your gut. Your sister may need an intervention in order to address what's happening in her life right now. Had it just been weed in her possession, I agree that you wouldn't need to sound an alarm. Not that your mother would be happy about her smoking that, but the chances of her harming herself are far different with weed than with opioids. We are currently suffering through an opioid crisis in our country that is affecting millions of people of all ages and too often taking their lives.

Your mother should know that her daughter is taking Oxycodone as well as anything else she may have. Show your mother where you found it. She may want to confiscate it so that she can talk to your sister with the drugs in hand. The showdown will likely be ugly, but know that you may be saving your sister's life. Your mother should do some research of her own on how to get help for your sister if she needs it. This will be a rocky period for your family, but don't give up on your sister.

To learn more about opioid addiction, go to www.addictioncenter.com. To get immediate help, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357).

DEAR HARRIETTE: I don't even remember how long we have been stuck in the house now, but my body is none the better for it. I was already supposed to be losing weight on my doctor's orders, but I know that I have gained. Plus, I have hardly done any exercise. I'm just not motivated. But I can hear my doctor screaming at me now. How can I get my head right so that I can do something at home for my health? -- Get Fit

DEAR GET FIT: You've probably heard the adage from Sir Isaac Newton that he called the First Law of Motion, the law of inertia: A body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Do you see yourself in that?

Most of us have barely been in motion for weeks now. That's why it's hard to begin moving. Start by acknowledging that your lack of energy or desire to move is normal -- and unhealthy. Start a schedule for yourself that will jumpstart you out of this behavior. At the same appointed hour every day, get up and start moving. Start small. Stretch for five minutes. Do five minutes of jumping jacks. Put on a mask and take a walk for 10 minutes. If you build slowly, you will awaken your body to movement. Add time in gradually so that you don't shock your system. You have to convince yourself that you can do it. You can!

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)