1/ Q: Restaurants in my city are reopening for outdoor dining. Is that safe?
A: It's probably safe for you as a diner. But also consider if it's safe for kitchen crew and wait staff.
2/ After restaurants resumed outdoor/sidewalk service in Philly, Nerdy Girl @abuttenheim was interviewed by a local magazine about the safety of outdoor dining: phillymag.com/foobooz/2020/0…
Here's a summary of what she said:
3/ First, if your primary concern is your own individual risk of contracting #COVID19, outdoor dining is definitely better than being indoors. Tables will be spaced 6'+ apart, and wait staff will be #masked. Restaurants will be following new hygiene protocols. All good!
4/
On the other hand, you will obviously not be masked while you eat. You'll be exposed to people nearby, especially during longer meals.
Here's where you have to rely on your Spidey Sense and your own risk tolerance to assess whether any particular setting feels ok or not.
5/
🧼 As we've said in many other posts about surfaces and take-out food: Rigorous, frequent #handwashing or hand sanitizing is your best defense here. #COVID19 is not foodborne, so you don't have to worry about contaminated food.
6/
🧂Restaurants will be following detailed guidelines about wiping down tables and chairs between parties, eliminating "presets" on the table, using disposable paper menus or chalkboards instead of reusable menus, and adding extra cleaning to high-touch surfaces and bathrooms.
7/ Like us, you might be worried about the safety of wait staff and kitchen crew. Wait staff are exposed to unmasked customers and the kitchen crew is likely working in tight quarters in a damp kitchen.
It's ok to ask the manager or owner about their policies on worker safety:
8/
What might those be? 3 things restaurants can do:
* Schedule staff in fixed crews that don't mix.
* Provide multiple clean dry masks per shift
* Encourage & enable workers to stay home if sick without risking their paycheck and job.
9/ Finally, remember that YOU might be a disease vector! Many folks across the country have been at large protests in the past few weeks.
If you might have been exposed, or are not feeling well, please quarantine for 2 weeks and/or get tested before hitting your favorite place.
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