Tell him you suffer from anxiety or panic disorder and that Rona makes you paranoid and you can’t risk getting paranoid and stressed out.
“tbh, I have very bad anxiety and this whole pandemic makes me paranoid and I don’t like leaving the house or having any guests, how about we play some PS4 online instead?”
This is actually true in my case cause I do have anxiety and say that to my friends.
Cough heavily over the phone
Be honest, my friend had a party planned (planned before Covid, but was occurring in late June) and I told them I no longer wanted to go in fear of the virus. They did get mad but i believe I was in the right. It also made me realize how shitty of a person they were anyway. I was afraid of exposing my family, myself, and if I was unknowingly sick I could’ve exposed them. It was a small in inconvenience for a bigger cause. My grandparents rely on me during this pandemic and I can’t risk it, even if they didn’t I knew I couldn’t go cause I have to do my part in attempting to stop the virus. Especially here in USA, where every single person really has to count right now. Just be honest, it’s ok.
“I miss hanging out with you and I’d love to see you, but I don’t want to endanger your health or mine. Can we schedule an online hangout soon?”
If its a matter of you feeling safe and they are a real friend they will understand. Also you could always set up a way for you guys to hang out, wouldn’t have to be in public. Go over to one another’s places, game online, video chat. There are ways to interact without going into public places or physically being in each other’s presence.