Rather than on public transportation, the risk of catching Covid-19 is greater in restaurants.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Eating out of the house at this time may have a higher risk of contracting people Covid-19 rather than taking public transportation or getting a haircut at a salon, says one study. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States (CDC), highlighted the risks of activities when people are not always able to wear masks and practice social distancing, such as eating and drinking when in restaurants.
For the purposes of the study, researchers analyzed information from 314 adults who tested for Covid-19 at one of 11 health care facilities across the United States. All of the participants admitted to experiencing some symptoms for which they were tested.
About half of the participants tested positive for Covid-19, while the other half were negative. They were interviewed about the activities they did during the 14 days before symptoms appeared including going to a shop, gym, office, salon, bar or coffee shop, attending religious events, using public transportation, or eating at a restaurant.
Overall, people who tested positive for Covid-19 reported twice as often eat at the restaurant within 14 days before falling ill from a negatively tested person.
Once the researchers excluded people who had contact with Covid-19 patients, they found that participants who were positive ate almost three times more often at restaurants, and nearly four times more often went to bars or coffee than those who tested negative.
No other activity from the survey was associated with an increased risk of Covid-19. The authors note that one limitation of their study was not differentiating between eating indoors and outdoors.
“Exposure and activity when wearing masks and social distancing is difficult to maintain, including going to a location that offers on-site food and drink, may be an important risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the researcher said as reported. Live Science, quoted Saturday.
Health experts recommend tips to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 while eating at restaurants, including wearing a mask when not eating and maintaining a distance of 1.8 meters from people who do not live with you. Sit outside if possible and call ahead to ask if all staff in the restaurant wear masks while working.
source: Between
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