People dine at tables in Bryant Park on December 23, 2020 in New York City. The pandemic continues to burden restaurants and bars as businesses struggle to thrive with evolving government restrictions and social distancing plans which impact keeping businesses open yet challenge profitability.
After COVID-19 was announced as a pandemic, different human activities have been suspended in many ways, including operating businesses like restaurants that were forced to halt most of their services.
Most of them have to adhere to safety protocols the authorities have implemented, such as the take-out policy to avoid risks of COVID-19 infection among their customers.
Now that a vaccine is rolling across the United States, many business establishments like restaurants have returned to their regular service with dine-in. However, they still adhere to safety protocols, like wearing masks and social distancing.
WebMD cites FDA noting that coronavirus does not seem to binge through food just like other viruses and bacteria.
For the safety of the workers and the diners when they eat in restaurants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that wearing masks is recommended for restaurant employees and customers as much as possible when not eating or drinking.
CDC also adds that masks are imperative when social distancing is not conceivable enough, which materializes inside restaurants and diners even with the proposed 6-feet detachment.
Now that restaurants are open, dining out is made possible, but the risks of getting infected are still there.
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Things to Forget in Restaurants
According to Eat This Not That, 17 percent of restaurants nationwide have concluded their service because of the pandemic and the restriction challenges. That means that the remaining restaurants working have compliance with the law and abides by the safety protocols.
Here are some of the habits you should not practice because of COVID-19, which Eat This Not That also mentioned.
Salad Bar
If you love going to a salad bar to fill a plate with greens and dressing, doing it is not ideal anymore. In salad bars, a single serving spoon for every greens and salad mix is shared and will contact everyone who falls in line. CDC discourages the sharing of items that are difficult to sanitize or disinfect.
Longer times inside
Eat This Not That says some restaurants imposed time limits for their diners to avoid the long exposure. CDC is concerned about the ventilation of establishments, which may promote even the spread of the virus. It adds that an individual's longer time stays in an enclosed space will have a higher chance of infection.
Cocktail Sharing
You might be sharing a glass of cocktail with different straws before COVID-19. Eat This Not That shares that doing this will not be possible anymore.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that SARS-CoV-2 spread through droplets and liquids. Thus, sharing different straws are dangerous. Droplets from the straws may go to the drink and may cause the spread if there is someone who is asymptomatic.
Order from Physical Menu
Eat This Not That reports that physical menus are replaced with QR menus because it is believed that hard surfaces may spread COVID-19. Along with the menu, it adds that salt, pepper, and other shared condiments on the table must also be removed.
No More indoor Playgrounds
In an interview with Eat This Not That, Yale Medicine Pediatrician shares that some children cough, sneeze, and urinate on objects inside the playpen, making other healthy kids engage with the bacteria they have promulgated. That only means that making them stay in the playpen is not advisable anymore.
Bartender company no more
Before drinking alone is alright because bartenders can chat with you when you feel bored. But according to Eat This Not That, the plexiglass installed in restaurants and bars make this scenario not possible anymore.
Restaurants and bars may have hindered some of your habits as of the moment. But once the virus is eradicated, these things can be enjoyed once again.
Things like these, which are not permanent, are worth sacrificing for a healthier and free SARS-CoV-2 nation.
Related article: How Restaurants Worldwide are Adapting to Coronavirus Safety Concerns
