New study renews concerns over role of restaurants and bars in spread of COVID-19

STRAIT – The rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases has led cities and counties in several states to issue new restrictions on restaurants and bars.

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A new study renews concerns about the role restaurants and bars may play in the spread of COVID-19. Researchers at Stanford University studied cellphone data from 10 US cities collected from March to May of this year.

The study was published in the Journal Nature and used the information to track the movements of 98 million people. They watched where they lingered and for how long.

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Scientists created a computer model that predicted the spread of COVID-19 in these communities. They found full-service restaurants to be the riskiest place for new infections, about four times riskier than gyms and cafes.

The result was based on modeling and not on contact tracing. The data was collected before the implementation of numerous precautions in restaurants.

The bottom line is that the more places you go, the more people you see and the longer your stay – the higher your risk.

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