"Restaurants Pose High Risk of COVID-19 Spread... Significant Effect Even by Reducing Density"

US Research Team Findings
Infection Risk 4 Times Higher in Restaurants and Multi-Use Facilities
Reducing Density Significantly Lowers Infection Risk

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Among multi-use facilities, restaurants have been found to have a high potential for the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). This is because people stay for long periods and the density is high.

On the 12th (local time), CBS broadcast cited research teams from Stanford University and Northwestern University in the United States, reporting that restaurants, gyms, and hotels are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. The researchers reached this conclusion by overlapping anonymized mobility data of citizens in the top 10 U.S. metropolitan cities with COVID-19 spread models.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Professor Jure Leskovec, who led the study, pointed out, "Restaurants are places where people spend a lot of time and many people stay in a confined space," adding, "The density is higher compared to grocery stores or department stores." For this reason, the infection probability in restaurants is four times higher than in gyms, coffee shops, hotels, or churches.

The researchers argued that restricting access to multi-use facilities is effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. They believed that even without completely closing restaurants, limiting the capacity could reduce the number of confirmed cases. For example, in Chicago, allowing only 20% of the maximum capacity resulted in an 80% reduction in COVID-19 infection rates.

It was also revealed that low-income groups are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. This is because low-income individuals have a lower proportion of working from home and use multi-use facilities instead of ordering food delivery, increasing their opportunities for COVID-19 infection.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.