Eating out is among riskiest activities during COVID-19 pandemic, CDC says

Going out to eat is riskier than other activities during the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday in a new report.

In a study with 314 adults who were tested for COVID-19, the CDC found adults who tested positive for the coronavirus were about twice as likely than those who tested negative to have gone to a restaurant before getting sick.

“Findings from a case-control investigation of symptomatic outpatients from 11 U.S. health care facilities found that close contact with persons with known COVID-19 or going to locations that offer on-site eating and drinking options were associated with COVID-19 positivity,” the CDC said.

Of the 314 people tested, about half tested positive and half negative. The tests were at healthcare facilities in California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.

Researchers asked each participant what they had done two weeks before getting tested for the coronavirus, including wearing masks or going to restaurants, bars, salons or gyms.

Both people who tested positive and those who tested negative gave similar answers, except when it came to going to restaurants. The data show people who tested positive were significantly more likely to eat at restaurants in “any area designated by the restaurant, including indoor, patio, and outdoor seating.”

The National Restaurant Association told McClatchy News that it has not found “evidence of systemic spread of the coronavirus coming from restaurants.”

“In effect, the lack of a direct correlation should be evidence that, when restaurants demonstrate effective mitigation efforts, the risk is low when dining outside or inside,” the National Restaurant Association said in an email statement to McClatchy News. “The methodology used in the recent CDC article focused on the transmission of COVID-19 and restaurant visits contains numerous flaws, and the conclusions of the study are insufficient to guide consumer behavior.”

Most states have reopened their restaurants with precautions and restrictions, The New York Times reported. The CDC said the highest risk is having on-site dining indoors and outdoors without at least 6 feet of space between customers and workers.

“Eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the CDC said. “Efforts to reduce possible exposures where mask use and social distancing are difficult to maintain, such as when eating and drinking, should be considered to protect customers, employees, and communities.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 8:09 PM.