How safe is the restaurant as there are patrons inside due to the cold weather? -Consumer Health News

Thursday, November 19, 2020 (HealthDay News)-Restaurant is under pressure to provide a safe dining environment as winter approaches and the United States enters a situation that could be the worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been.

Some eateries are trying to expand their outdoor dining during the cold winter months, setting up heated tents so that patrons can enjoy their meals without fear of being infected with the coronavirus. I have. Others are strengthening infection control measures in indoor spaces with better air filtration and improved ventilation.

However, infectious disease experts are skeptical that eating out can be safe during the winter COVID-19 surge without compromising the experience of patrons or the economics of business owners.

“In fact, what happens between indoor walls, no matter how sliced ​​or tented, is at high risk,” said the chair of the Infection Control Working Group at UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Peter Katna said. And public health.

However, Larry Lynch, senior vice president of science and industry at the National Restaurant Association, said indoor protection measures, including wearing masks and social distances between tables, have a proven track record of keeping patrons safe during a pandemic. He said he had won.

“From these restaurants, we have confirmed that all employees are wearing face covers and that they are wearing face covers until the customer eats, a systemic outbreak from these restaurants. I can’t find any evidence. ” “If you look at a restaurant that does it right, you can’t see it happening there.”

However, the essence of eating out is a dangerous proposal from an infection control perspective, said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Building Program at Harvard University of Public Health in Boston.

“Restaurant and bar presents the obvious problem that we lose one major and important control. It’s a mask,” says Allen. “People don’t wear masks while eating and drinking, so they lose version control.”

Receive a huge financial blow

Since the beginning of the pandemic, restaurants have been exposed to serious financial tensions.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the food service industry is expected to lose $ 240 billion in revenue this year, with staffing more than two million below pre-pandemic levels. According to a September survey, two in five restaurant owners believe they will be out of business by February without additional federal stimulus.

The restaurant survived during the summer by providing an outdoor dining area with a much lower risk of infection.

“The virus particles are concentrated indoors and tend to dissipate more outdoors,” Katna said. “A small amount of airflow removes the particles. UV light probably kills bugs to some extent.”

Restaurants are currently considering surrounding these outdoor areas with heated tents, which is a bad move, Allen said.

“It’s no different than eating indoors,” Allen said. “In fact, it’s even worse because it gives the false sense of safety, and the test isn’t designed for coding, so it may not meet the minimum ventilation rate.”

Lynch agrees.

“Ironically, you took the experience indoors and moved outdoors. You kept it more contained and riskier than keeping it indoors with high ceilings and good circulation with HVAC. [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] “System”.

Allen said the outdoor dining area, with tents on three sides with one wall open, “has a pretty good air exchange,” but “probably a little cold.”

According to Allen, the best bet is to have a separate tent for each outdoor table so that the isolated groups can be separated from all other diners.

“If you have separate pods, at least my family may be away from yours,” Allen said. “But if people are gathering with five or six friends that they don’t normally see, that’s a risk.”

Outdoor areas with tents can also be made safer by using portable air filters, Lynch added.

“We suggested, at least if a portable air circulation unit was on the road to need it,” Lynch continued. “Fortunately, there are relatively inexpensive units that incorporate UV light as well as high-level filters.”

Control of indoor environment

For indoor meals, many environmental controls are available that can reduce the risk of infection, said Oscar Alain, head of programs and services for the National Association of County and Municipal Health Officials. ..

According to Alleyne, the restaurant can increase the ventilation of the building and install high-quality air filters that can filter viruses from HVAC circulating air.

They could also invest in ancillary portable air purifiers with HEPA filters to reduce occupancy, increase space between tables, and strictly enforce social distances, he said.

“If there is a focused approach to tackling environmental management, it will make things safer in itself,” Alain said.

Allen added that enhanced environmental controls would not break banks.

“Filter upgrades cost a few dollars more. A good portable cleaner with a HEPA filter can cost hundreds of dollars,” Allen said. “I’m not talking about a multi-million dollar fix.”

But reducing restaurant occupancy to acceptable levels will pose a serious challenge to its profitability, Allen said.

“Once we reach the level of densification needed to reduce risk, we don’t know if it’s economically feasible for restaurants,” Allen said.

According to Lynch, restaurants are undergoing financial changes to cope with the declining capacity. They tightened the menu to reduce food waste and postponed bringing back staff who were dismissed during the initial blockade.

According to Lynch, the industry continues to look for new ways to make indoor dining safer.

For example, the National Restaurant Association is working with leading HVAC associations on ways to further improve building ventilation and air filtration, Lynch said. One idea under consideration is to retrofit a virus-killing UV light filter to the building’s existing HVAC system for further disinfection as the air circulates.

But even if all these measures are taken successfully, the human component remains a serious obstacle to safety, Allen said.

“Restaurants have a high risk level,” Allen said. “It’s not just that people aren’t wearing masks at the table. Speaking loudly and loudly increases emissions rates. Alcohol consumption reduces restraint. Are mixed. “Normally, they are not quarantined.

“It’s not as easy as just ventilation and masking. That’s all, and that’s what makes it such a challenge,” Allen concludes.

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Source: Peter Katona, MD, Chair, Infection Control Working Group, UCLA Faculty of Medicine and Public Health. Joseph Allen, DSc, MPH, Director of Health and Architecture Program, Faculty of Public Health, Harvard University. E. Oscar Alleyne, DrPH, MPH, Chief, Programs and Services, National Association of County and Municipal Health Officials.Larry Lynch, Senior Vice President of Science and Industry, National Restaurant Association