Read This Before You Even Consider Dining Indoors
Experts explain the many risks involved — and how to lower your risk if you decide to do it
Linsey Marr has not dined indoors at a restaurant since the pandemic began, and she won’t until it’s over. Because she knows the risk, better than just about anyone. Marr, PhD, is a scientist at Virginia Tech and an expert on the transmission of the coronavirus through the air. She and several of her colleagues agree that the riskiest environments for catching Covid-19 are crowded indoor spaces, including restaurants.
“Restaurants are among the higher-risk activities because you’re indoors with other people without masks for some of the time at least,” Marr tells Elemental.
The coronavirus spreads in three known ways: from infected surfaces, by large respiratory droplets that typically fall to the ground within a few feet, and in smaller droplets called aerosols that can stay suspended for minutes or hours — a particular risk in poorly ventilated buildings where the aerosol concentration can build up.
The risk of airborne transmission increases with several factors related to dose and duration.
- The louder a person talks, the more aerosols are released.
- If you’re closer to someone or…
