WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER: Is Dining Outside Safe During Pandemic?

Because of coronavirus restrictions and mandates, many restaurants have been forced to provide outside-only dining, to get customers to stay and eat meals.  Many are experiencing “caution fatigue,” want to get out and dine, again…  Many want to support local businesses, especially favorite eateries.

The question:  How safe is it to dine outdoors?  ABC‘s Good Morning America asked seven infectious disease specialists about it.  All seven experts said they would not dine out if the town or city is a COVID-19 hotspot.

In areas of low COVID transmission, 2 of the 7 said they still would not dine out even if the tables were outside.

While all of the infectious disease experts prefer takeout or delivery right now, there are precautions to take if you decide to dine out.  Outdoor seating is the best-case scenario.  Make sure the restaurant is encouraging social distancing, the servers and hosts are wearing masks, and anyone not eating is keeping their masks on.