So my friend (former college roommate, lives in NYC) mentioned in a hi how are you doing type of email that he had recently had COVID. His wife had also mentioned it publically on FB (that she had it.)
Is it rude for me to ask how he thinks he might have gotten it in a return email? Does it depend on the level of friendship?
I would say if he emails you on the basis of, "hi, how are you" it would be perfectly acceptable to ask how he contracted covid. Weird question. And does it really matter how he contracted it? Maybe he doesn't know?
Is this the family you all had a great NYC trip with last year if I remember correctly.
I would be asking more in a making conversation way, rather than actually caring where they got it from. They're a 50something married couple with no kids who probably take more risks than we do (e.g. riding the subway, going to the gym, indoor dining, more live entertainment than us), though I dont' judge them for it...we all have our levels of how we behave.
And if I talked about hanging with some friends in NYC the past year, yes, they were among the friends.