Restaurants reopening, but will you dine in?

[Robin Garr]

Kentucky restaurants and bars may reopen at 50% capacity effective Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced yesterday, with masks required when you're not actively drinking or eating.

But how do you feel about dining inside right now? Will you do it?

Here's a link to the official word on the governor's web page:
https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-str ... r&prId=505

[Robin Garr]

Personally, I wish I could say yes, but nope. Now that I'm old enough to be considered part of a high-risk group, that's a risk I'm not willing to take. Once vaccination is widespread and there's herd immunity, and cases have diminished to rare-to-none, I will be so happy to get back to regular restaurant dining. But not as long as there's a measurable risk to my health and life. How about you?

At some point, I probably will. Certain foods (to me) just don't work for carryout. This thing will be with us all winter and I'd like to support specific places as I can. I'd need a good feel about the place (an uncertain metric, I know) regarding precautions, cleanliness, and crowd size, and I'd certainly choose an indoor place with sufficient spacing over a more crowded, covered, parking lot tent that is somehow considered "outdoor" dining. I should add that I do not have any risk factors.

Somewhat related from this morning:
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/n ... 878513001/

I think it's behind a paywall, but a telling quote from the Red Yeti chef that Jeffersonville "feels like a resort town" with all of the Kentucky business they are getting.

I'm with Robin on this. I've seen too many articles detailing outbreaks in restaurants in Korea and how even six-foot spacing and brief exposure durations are insufficient to prevent spread. Unsurprisingly, the air currents created by ventilation systems play a major role. How can one be certain that those air currents would be safe in any particular establishment at any given time? I'll keep doing carry out and, when warmer weather returns, dining out on an occasional patio. But no indoors, and no tents with closed sides for me until vaccines have greatly reduced community spread.

Its 60 degrees and I'm currently sitting on Kashmir's patio waiting for them to open. There are a few ladies at Taco City next door. I saw a group of four at The Eagle as I was coming in.
Enjoy every moment as it arises.
Bon appetit.

I'm with Robin on this. I've seen too many articles detailing outbreaks in restaurants in Korea and how even six-foot spacing and brief exposure durations are insufficient to prevent spread. Unsurprisingly, the air currents created by ventilation systems play a major role. How can one be certain that those air currents would be safe in any particular establishment at any given time? I'll keep doing carry out and, when warmer weather returns, dining out on an occasional patio. But no indoors, and no tents with closed sides for me until vaccines have greatly reduced community spread.

I totally agree.

No.

Nope, too risky for me, after vaccine takes hold sure...

No. However, if I can be seated in a well ventilated area. i.e., near an open garage or bay door, then yes, Also, some of these tents are as bad as dining indoors. So no on most of those too.

I'm a no - 60+ and asthma means staying away from folks for awhile. Agree with the tent comment: can't believe some of what I'm seeing with no ventilation other than the primary opening.

[Robin Garr]

This transmission diagram from a restaurant in Korea scared the bejeezus out of me. an infected diner near upper right, with the help of ventilation currents, infected another diner more than 21 feet away. Yikes!

korea-dine.jpg

Wow! That is cause for serious concern. I wonder what the time lapse is on that and if any others have turned up positive since because of that exposure?

[Robin Garr]

Here's the full story in the Los Angeles Times.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/st ... r-covid-19

And, if you want to geek out, the abstract of the full study in the Journal of Korean Medical Science:
https://jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e415

[Robin Garr]

Wow! That is cause for serious concern. I wonder what the time lapse is on that and if any others have turned up positive since because of that exposure?

Only five minutes, the LA Times story says.

That's one of the articles I was referring to.