CDC Links Restaurant Dining With Increased COVID Risk

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A survey carried out by the Centers for Disease Control has found adults who tested positive for the coronavirus were twice as likely to have recently dined at a restaurant compared to those who tested negative.
According to People, the study surveyed 314 people who were tested for COVID-19 in July across 10 states including Ohio, California, Colorado, and Massachusetts. All participants sought out a COVID-19 test after experiencing symptoms, with 154 people testing positive and 160 participants testing negative.
The group who tested positive “were approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than were those with negative SARS-CoV-2 [the virus that causes COVID-19] test results,” the study authors said. Additionally, those who tested positive for COVID-19 but did not know where they had been exposed to the virus were more likely to have gone to a bar or coffee shop, People reports.
However, the study did not ask participants if they dined inside, or outside.
“Implementing safe practices to reduce exposures to SARS-CoV-2 during on-site eating and drinking should be considered to protect customers, employees, and communities and slow the spread of COVID-19,” the CDC researchers wrote.