Brandon Brown: While shopping malls are now open, I will not go yet myself for any nonessentials in case we see a second wave of infection due to easing restrictions. Groceries, on the other hand, are essential for living, and many grocery stores still enforce wearing masks and keeping a physical distance both inside and outside, including limitations on how many people can be inside at one time.
How risky is eating at a restaurant? How can people mitigate that risk?
Smith: Restaurants are relatively high-risk. Outdoors, maybe a little less so, especially if they’re doing spacing between tables and there’s good airflow outside to reduce the level of virus you might be exposed to.
Murray: Across the board, outside is better than inside. That’s the message for summer. In some places, it gets so hot that outside is really uncomfortable and people are going to want to go back inside. Usually, people spend at least an hour at a restaurant, so that’s a lot of time to be exposed to particles that are potentially coming from somebody near you. There’s also worry that air conditioning systems might help to spread the virus indoors. You want to be looking for restaurants that are not just doing the minimum. Not just putting tables six feet apart, but maybe 10 feet or 12 feet.
Brown: Takeout or delivery from a restaurant has lower risk than eating in. Eating in a restaurant is risky. We cannot control the physical distancing of others. The server may be exposed to COVID-19 by one customer and then subsequently inadvertently spread it to other people. We touch items that others also touch: menus, cups and dishes, utensils, tables, and chairs. By definition, if we are eating, we cannot wear masks. We cannot decrease this risk to zero, but disinfection between customers is key. Employees should be provided with effective masks and gloves, have paid leave available if they are sick, and be provided with protection if they take public transportation to and from work. Hand sanitizer can be made available to guests, as well as temperature checks.
What about who you’re at a restaurant with—is it safer to only go out to eat with people from your household (if you live with others), versus people outside of it?
Murray: Unless you’re at a restaurant where the table itself can seat you and your friends at least six feet apart, you probably want to just stick with your household members.
Smith: The risk increases if you’re bringing in people you haven’t been with versus people in your household. You’re not going to be masking up the whole time, you’re going to have to take them off to eat and talk and things like that.
What would you be looking for in terms of restaurant crowding?
Murray: If you go to a restaurant and it looks like it might be a little crowded, turn around and go somewhere else. If you’re in a restaurant and it starts to get crowded, the best thing you can do for yourself is say, “I need to leave now,” pay your check, and go. We know that the risk is not just about physical proximity, it’s about the time spent in physical proximity. So if it starts to look crowded, you’re better off leaving sooner rather than later.
Smith: It may depend on local ordinances. In theory, restaurants should be less crowded anyway, but I don’t know what they’re doing about group gatherings or people waiting for a table. There could be potential for the virus to be transmitted in lots of other restaurant areas besides sitting at the table.
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How Risky It Is to Eat at a Restaurant, Go to the Beach, and More Right Now - Self
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