An American study points to the responsibility of restaurants and bars in the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, while attenuating that of public transport and workplaces.
- According to the American study carried out on 300 participants, 1 in 2 contamination could be linked to frequenting bars and restaurants.
While in France, the number of Covid-19 contaminations continues to increase every day with an incidence rate of 72 cases per 1,000 people, the question of the closure of bars and restaurants has not been mentioned Friday, September 11 by Prime Minister Jean Castex. Yet, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) in the United States, these places of socialization contribute well to the spread of the epidemic.
Twice as many contaminations
Wearing a mask while eating or drinking, spacing tables by at least one meter, avoiding crowds in closed places: so many recommendations that are difficult to respect in bars and restaurants and which, according to the study, have contributed to the active circulation of the virus across the Atlantic.
To reach this conclusion, CDC researchers sent a questionnaire to 300 people who came to be tested in July in 11 American hospitals. Half of the participants had tested positive, the other not.
The objective of the questions asked was to trace the itinerary of people who tested positive during the 14 days preceding the appearance of symptoms of Covid-19: had they gone out shopping? Did they take public transport? Attended a gym, hair salon, bar, restaurant? Did they go to the office or an enclosed area with more than 10 people?
The questionnaire also asked about the practice of barrier gestures and the wearing of a mask. By analyzing the responses, the researchers then found that respondents who tested positive and negative said they wore it in similar proportions, with the exception of two places: bars and restaurants.
Result: positive cases are twice as numerous among respondents who have visited these establishments in the two weeks preceding the onset of symptoms, even if they have not been in contact with a sick person.
A preliminary study
The study being observational and having been carried out on a limited number of participants, further work will be necessary to confirm its conclusions.
However, these preliminary results argue for wearing a mask in closed and frequented places to prevent contamination by droplets.
The CDC has also published a number of recommendations for bars and restaurants: requiring employees to wash their hands frequently, disinfecting surfaces regularly, requiring staff and customers to wear masks, or placing signs in highly visible places (e.g. at entrances, in washrooms) that encourage daily protective measures such as hand washing.
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