In many places, outdoor dining is allowed, provided that certain social-distancing precautions are adhered to. With the right planning, you can make a sukkah that conforms to these regulations, with walls that are as open as possible to allow for air to flow through the structure.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when constructing your COVID-friendly sukkah:

Social distancing: Obviously, the more space you have in the sukkah, the more people you can seat with ample space between them, so the bigger the better. Halachah provides no objection to giant sukkahs, since “it is proper for all of Israel to sit together in a single sukkah.”

The schach: By nature, the sukkah covering is porous. So put on enough so that there is more shade than sun, still leaving room for air to flow through. Also note that it cannot be more than 20 cubits (approx. 30') above the ground.

The walls: This is where things get interesting. Halachah stipulates that a sukkah must have three walls. But what constitutes a wall? While a wooden board is ideal, a lattice or even a series of bars is OK, provided that there are no more than three handbreadths (more than 9 inches) between them.

This means that you can construct your wall entirely out of chicken wire, chain-link fencing or another porous material of your choice.

Furthermore, your walls only have to be 10 handbreadths (at least 32 inches) high and don’t have to be tall enough to meet the schach. Thus, you can place a piece of lattice horizontally, so that it is four feet high, leaving the space above it empty with your schach supported by poles.

Note: It is important that the schach be placed onto already-existing walls. Thus, when building your COVID-style open sukkah, first put the “walls” into place and then lay the schach on top.