[News]Bars are key in the community spread of Covid-19

[SougarLord]

page from where the news was taken: https://www.abc.es/salud/enfermedades/abci-bares-si-claves-propagacion-comunitaria-covid-19-202104061350_noticia.html

 

 

Yes, bars and restaurants are ideal places for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. This is assured by a study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, which collects on the case of a celebration inside a bar in a rural area of Illinois in February that gave lead to 46 new cases of Covid-19 and the spread of the virus in other areas of the state and the closure of a school.

 

The CDC researchers note that this case should serve as a warning about how these indoor events can affect communities.

 

Four of the attendees had symptoms similar to Covid-19 that same day; Of the 46 linked coronavirus infections, there were 26 cases among clients, three in staff members and 17 secondary cases in people infected by them.

 

Secondary cases included children and residents of nursing homes.

 

"The transmission associated with the opening event also caused the closure of a school that affected 650 children and the hospitalization of a resident of a care center for the elderly with Covid-19," the researchers said.

Opening environments such as bars, where the use of masks and physical distancing are challenging, can increase the risk of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2

The study authors note that their results demonstrate that "openness to bar-like settings, where mask use and physical distancing are challenging, can increase the risk of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2."

 

The report's authors write that similar gatherings that involve eating or drinking, such as restaurant dinners, weddings, and nightclubs, have already been associated with an increased risk of acquiring Covid-19 and have the potential to become super-spread events for the SARS-CoV-2.

 

But furthermore, they add, this research further demonstrates that inconsistent wearing of masks and inappropriate physical distancing in an indoor environment can increase the risk of transmission, regardless of whether or not there is a celebration.

 

These findings show that the transmission of SARS-CoV originating from a business such as a bar affects not only the customers and employees of the bar, but also an entire community.

According to the CDC's Covid-19 guidelines for restaurants and bars, it is important to reduce customer capacity, ensure adequate room air ventilation, prioritize outdoor seating, and promote behaviors such as staying home when you are. sick, wash hands frequently, wear masks, and maintain physical distance.

 

Experts conclude that bars can play a relevant role in the community spread of Covid-19 due to the relaxation in the use of masks when eating or drinking and the lack of permanent physical distancing.

 

Furthermore, "these findings show that the transmission of SARS-CoV originating in a business such as a bar affects not only the customers and employees of the bar, but also an entire community."