During the pandemic, eating outdoors presents a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission than eating indoors, which is why it has become increasingly popular. But now that winter weather has led to cooler temperatures and rain across much of the country, restaurants have begun enclosing these outside areas to keep diners warm and protected.
These enclosures can protect you from the elements, but are they actually safer than eating indoors? Here are the risks of outdoor tents, in addition to ways to reduce the dangers of contagion if you choose to eat in one of these enclosures.
If you choose to go out to dinner, wear a mask as much as possible, use hand sanitizer frequently, and only share bread with people in your house. Still, the surest way to avoid catching (or spreading) COVID-19 and supporting local restaurants is to order takeout.
Are the tents on the terraces safe?
As indoor dining options begin to resemble indoor dining, the advantage of cookout dims.
In other words, if you build a roof and four walls around an outdoor space, it basically becomes an indoor one. The problem is that being indoors, where there is no natural air flow, increases the risk of transmission.
And when you eat inside an outdoor enclosure, you are usually very close to others, breathing the same air and without wearing masks. Remember that COVID-19 is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks within two meters of another. Furthermore, if the virus is transmitted through the air, it can reach distances greater than 2 meters and remain in the air for minutes or hours.
How to reduce the risk of COVID-19 when eating on a terrace?
Go outdoors
The more open the outer space, the safer it will be. When there is a lot of fresh air circulating, pollutants like viruses tend to disperse or dilute. And that means a lower chance of infection.
So if you have the option of dining in a room with a roof and four walls or in an airy space that is less confined (with only one or two walls to block the wind), bundle up and choose the latter.
Make sure your table is located less than two meters from other diners, as social distancing remains essential for disease prevention, even outdoors.
Choose well-ventilated enclosures
Although good ventilation alone is not enough to stop the spread of COVID-19, it can help decrease transmission rates.
Although a breeze can chill you in colder temperatures, a draft could indicate that an enclosure has fresh air circulating. Some enclosures, such as tents, tend to have a lot of leaks and therefore can have sufficient ventilation without an explicit ventilation system.
Still, that may not be enough for COVID protection, especially if the space is full of customers. To make spaces safer, restaurants should install some type of mechanical ventilation. An excellent system would be to introduce filtered and heated outside air.
But even a portable ducted fan could come in handy to improve airflow. Such a ventilation system would be visible (and probably audible) with air entering through a duct to the tent.
However, although these enclosed spaces may enjoy greater air circulation than an indoor environment, keep in mind that your risk of COVID is not as low as eating outdoors.
Find an air filtration system
Although a mechanical ventilation system such as a ventilator can be easy to detect, what is less obvious is whether the air is being filtered for COVID. Check the space (or ask the restaurant staff) to determine if there is an air filtration system, such as a portable air purifier.
In combination with other safety measures such as social distancing, the use of masks, and good hand hygiene, air purifiers can also help reduce the risk of transmission by reducing the amount of pollutants in the air, including viruses such as COVID-19, in a closed environment.
Make sure the restaurant disinfects between customers
Frequently disinfecting enclosed spaces outdoors can also help keep you safe.
Tents must be sanitized between uses and this can be done relatively quickly with UV light, hydrogen peroxide generators, or a variety of similar sanitizing mechanisms.
If you're unsure about a restaurant's sanitation procedures, you can always call and ask before dinner.
