COVID-19 and Risks of Dining at Restaurants

Updated September 30, 2020

A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were approximately twice as likely to have reported eating recently at a restaurant compared to people who tested negative. Health experts say indoor dining still poses major risks. Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, urges people to wear face coverings as often as possible, as they can significantly lower the chances of dispersing virus-containing particles. “When eating you physically can’t wear a mask but you can minimize that risk by popping it back on between bites,” says Russo.