The Hosts Are Unvaccinated. Should the Guests Know?

A reader asks whether she has an obligation to tell her fellow invitees about the risks at an upcoming indoor wedding.

My husband’s brother and sister-in-law are hosting an indoor wedding for another relative. They live in an area with a high rate of Covid-19 transmission, and we learned recently that they’ve chosen not to be vaccinated. More than 50 people are attending the event, including older, vulnerable relatives and a pregnant woman. (We have an 8-month-old baby.) Masks are not required. We are the only people who know the hosts are unvaccinated, and they were clearly upset when we asked about it. My husband and I are vaccinated, but of course our baby is not. Given the dangers of the Delta variant, should we tell other guests about our hosts’ vaccination status? Can we possibly bring our baby? DEBBIE The challenge of thorny problems like yours is finding a way to be helpful without acting as if we’re more powerful than we are. Yes, you and your husband may be the only ones who know the hosts’ vaccination status. But isn’t that simply because you asked them? Your best approach here is to encourage other guests to do the same. Let’s normalize sensible questions!