1/ Q: Is it safe to eat at #restaurants yet? Even if I can go to a restaurant, should I?
A: All steps at venturing out will involve #risk, so the first step is to weigh #infection prevalence in your region and personal risk factors.
2/ It’s still best to opt for takeout (#takeouttuesday!) or delivery if you are high risk or live with someone who is. No shame in not rushing out!
If you decide to eat out, some situations are safer than others. Our summary here, but full info in the link below.
3/ The natural ventilation of outdoor air makes it safer than enclosed spaces. Indoors, bigger, well-ventilated restaurants with limits on capacity will be safest.
Diners also need to remain physically distanced in waiting areas and multi-stall restrooms.
4/ Large group dinners are still not advisable, due to the sustained close contact and risk of one person infecting multiple people (super-spreading events).
Diners from different households can’t physically distance at the same table and can’t wear masks while eating.
5/ Try to keep the meal within your household or extended “pod”/”bubble”, and the fewer people at the table the safer.
6/ Fast Casual or Sit Down? Style of dining is less important than the measures restaurants are taking to keep staff and diners safe.
Look out for personal protective equipment, restrictions of numbers of customers, and regular cleaning.
7/ But the longer you are in a restaurant, the more opportunities there are to come into contact with different people, so consider the time of day and don’t linger over your meal. 🕑
8/ Be cautious about self-serve buffets, not because of food-borne illness, but high touch communal utensils and dispensers. In addition, be careful handling menus and condiments passed from table to table.
9/ Restrooms: Try not to congregate in lines, etc without 6 feet of distance. Wear #masks in common areas and don’t forget to #WashYourHands!
10/ Finally, remember that your #servers are putting themselves and their families at risk to serve you—this is the perfect time to be generous tipper.
11/
"Above all, remember that risk is shared: It’s not just you at risk of infection here, but your loved ones, other people’s loved ones, and an entire community." eater.com/21262619/is-it…
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1/ Q: Has almost everyone been infected with COVID by now?
A: Recent estimates suggest around 58% of the population in the US and over 70% in England have been previously infected, with BIG increases during the Omicron wave.
3/ ➡️ During the Omicron wave from December 2021-February 2022, this estimate increased from 33% to 58%.
➡️ Rates vary a lot by age, ranging from 33.2% for those over age 65 to 75% for those under age 18.
2/ Not likely. If your kids are suddenly getting sick a lot, this is likely due to “catching up” on exposures rather than a weakened immune system.
3/ Many families w/ young kids have been hunkered down for the better part of 2 years– a good % of a young child’s entire life. While isolation had *many* downsides, we can agree that not having to suction snot out of infant noses or clean up norovirus puke was a happy upside.
1/ Q: Are cases peaking? That means it’s all downhill from here, right?
A: Sort of…. Remember that even if cases come down as quickly as they rise, there will be as many cases *after* the peak as before (think area under the curve).
2/ ➡️ And if the downward slope is *slower* than the rise, we will see *more* cases during the decline from a surge.
3/ Burning fast could be a silver lining of super transmissible #Omicron. Cases rose & fell quickly in S. Africa (w/ hospitalizations & deaths still lagging). The UK appears to have turned the Omicron corner. Many US states appear past their peak in cases, w/ regional variation:
Unfortunately, this includes New Year’s Eve plans. The perfect storm of a new variant & holiday get-togethers is hitting communities & health care w/ FORCE! Testing is in short supply.
3/ Health care is under extreme pressure with surging cases. If you can avoid even one additional contact, you are helping. This is a temporary and urgent request (from a health care provider).