Air-conditioning spread the coronavirus to 9 people sitting near an infected person in a restaurant, researchers say. ShiraFeder 13hoursago
Shira Feder BUSINESS INSIDER Apr 21, 2020, 11:49 PM
In an early-release research letter in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers said they found that nine people sitting near one another at a restaurant in China in January got COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, and that it likely spread because of the restaurant's air-conditioner. The authors advised restaurants to increase the distance between tables and improve ventilation. As restaurants look to reopen, experts say they will need to take extra safety measures, such as reducing capacity, having employees wear masks, and capping how long diners can stay there.
Abstract During January 26–February 10, 2020, an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease in an air-conditioned restaurant in Guangzhou, China, involved 3 family clusters. The airflow direction Three seemingly healthy families were struck by COVID-19 in January after dining at neighbouring tables in a windowless restaurant in Guangzhou, China. Researchers studying the case think that the restaurant's air-conditioner blew the viral droplets of one person who was asymptomatic farther than they might have normally gone. Nine other people across the three families later got sick. The researchers described their findings in an early-release research letter published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier this month. It's a frightening prospect for people trying to keep a healthy distance from others. But in a potentially hopeful finding for the locked-down
The dining section is closed off at East Side Pockets, a small restaurant near Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. It isn't the restaurant mentioned in the researchers' letter. Associated Press
was consistent with droplet transmission. To prevent the spread of the virus in restaurants, we recommend increasing the distance between tables and improving ventilation.
restaurant industry, none of the 73 other diners and eight employees in the restaurant at the time got sick, the researchers added. "To prevent the spread of the virus in restaurants, we recommend increasing the distance between tables and improving ventilation," they wrote. For the struggling restaurants desperate to reopen in the coming months, the researchers' findings are evidence that work will not just return to normal after the pandemic, but there might be ways to limit the risk of spreading the virus. There will likely be caps on how long patrons can spend eating, restaurants will operate at lower capacity, air-conditioning or heating may have to stay off, and employees might be advised to wear masks.
Researchers think the source of this outbreak was a 63-year-old woman who did not show symptoms — such as a fever and a cough — until later in the day. She went to a hospital and tested positive for COVID-19. Within two weeks, four of her relatives had also gotten sick, as did five other diners in two other families, who seemed to have no other connection except for their time in the restaurant. It surprised the researchers, since the novel coronavirus is transmitted by droplets, or heavy particles that tend not to float farther than 1 meter, and the families were sitting farther apart than that. They said it seemed that the air-conditioning could have blown the viral droplets farther.
Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.
Volume 26, Number 7—July 2020 Research Letter COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020 Author affiliations: Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China (J. Lu, K. Li, C. Xu, W. Su, C. Yu, Z. Yang); Guangzhou Yuexiu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China (J. Gu, Z. Lai, D. Zhou, B. Xu)
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