Study reveals the danger of “heavy breathing in close proximity." This could happen in bars and other drinking establishments where there are crowds during the coronavirus pandemic.
Indoor spaces where heavy breathing in close proximity happen such as those with crowds yelling, leaning close to hear one another, and touching the same surfaces are “the opposite of social distancing,” said Dr. David Hamer of the Boston University School of Medicine.
“Can you do social distancing at a bar? Can you wear a mask while drinking?” Hamer said. “Bars are the perfect place to break all those rules."
The swift spread of a bar outbreak can become a burden to public health workers. In East Lansing, Michigan, an outbreak associated with a brewpub near Michigan State University has infected nearly 140 people in 12 counties. This prompted officials to hire nursing students and retirees to aid with contact tracing.
“In 12 days, we went from two identified cases to 128, and, honestly, I don’t have today’s numbers yet,” Ingham County health officer Linda Vail said Wednesday before coronavirus cases rose again. She described her outlook as “shocked and overwhelmed.”
Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the closure of indoor seating in bars in parts of the state. Taverns can only operate to sell to-go cocktails and serve at outdoor patios.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom also ordered the closure of bars and indoor restaurant dining to for the next three weeks. Meanwhile, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio postponed the city's resumption of restaurant dining.
Natalie Dean, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Florida, pointed out that there are two factors that make bars potential virus flashpoints. She said that alcohol lowers inhibitions so people do not remember precautions.
Moreover, she suggested that the attractive, healthy person purchasing one a drink could be a silent carrier.
“Young people have less severe illness, so they may be infected and able to infect others inadvertently,” Dean said. She noted outbreaks in Japan and South Korea that were linked to restaurants, karaoke parties, and bars.
“Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news," Dr. Anthony Fauci told a Senate panel Tuesday. "We really have got to stop that.”
Texas, Arizona, Los Angeles and some Pennsylvania counties will close bars to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Florida and Colorado ordered bars to not serve alcohol on site.
“You can go into a restaurant and they have bars, and you can have as many drinks as you want,” said Nikki Forsberg, owner of the Old Ironhorse Saloon in Blanco, Texas. “It doesn’t seem fair. Restaurants get this pass and the bars don’t."
Saskia Popescu, an infectious diseases expert in Phoenix, admitted that it is not easy to disinfect surfaces at a bar enough to make a difference. Virus could be present and transmitted even when sitting at a table with friends at a bar that involves loud talking and laughing. “You can make a cocktail at home,” Popescu said.
According to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, social distancing and wearing of masks found effective in reducing COVID-19 risk.
Findings revealed that people must stay at least three feet apart and more if possible.
The study, paid for by the World Health Organization, disclosed three major results that involve social distancing and use of face masks as effective protection from COVID-19.
When it comes to social distancing, the chance of virus transmission at a distance of less than 1 meter was 12.8%. However, that becomes 2.6% at a distance of more than one meter. What is more effective is distances of two meters. The veracity of the evidence appeared “moderate.”
