Is it safer to dine on a restaurant patio instead of inside? We asked 2 Arizona experts – AZCentral

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As more Arizona restaurants and bars reopen, the public has posed various questions about how COVID-19 can spread among diners and employees.

Eating and drinking remain some of the few activities people need to remove their masks to do.

Many restaurant owners have responded to safety concerns by implementing new measures, such as sneeze guards at order counters, masks for employees and tables distanced six feet apart.

It may not be enough, however. Experts say Arizonas increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations cant be solely attributed to increased testing. They warn the state is trending upward in a way that could necessitate another stay-at-home order to curb the spread.

For these questions, The Arizona Republic turned to guidelines from Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Republic also spoke to virologist Charles Gerba and atmospheric scientist Eric Betterton from the University of Arizona. Gerba studies how viruses are transmitted through the environment. Betterton studies environmental contaminants, including aerosols.

COVID-19 spreads when an infected person produces respiratory droplets by speaking, coughing or sneezing. Infected droplets contain coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19.

At least one study shows infected coronavirus droplets can remain in the air for several hours and up to two to three days on certain surfaces.

Evidence does not support routine airborne transmission, however, according to an AZDHS presentation on the Arizona's COVID-19 response.

The CDC recommends restaurants and bars "ensure that ventilation systems operate properly and increase circulation of outdoor air as much as possible, for example by opening windows and doors and prioritizing outdoor seating."

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Dining outdoors tends to be safer because indoors people are more likely to be in closer vicinity and there are more surfaces with risk of contamination, Gerba said.

The concentration of droplets can also be higher indoors where air tends to recirculate, Betterton added.

"Many people forget that dose matters," Betterton said. "If you inhale just a small number of virus-containing droplets, your body and immune system may be able to overwhelm that. But if you inhale a large number, the virus can propagate rapidly."

The coronavirus may spread less outdoors, but summer is also descending and eating outside won't be an attractive option for many. Metro Phoenix is already hitting consecutive, triple-digit temperatures with the hottest part of summer yet to come.

One oft-cited CDC study concluded that air conditioning in a restaurant in Guangzhou, China caused the spread of virus-laden droplets, prompting an outbreak. The distance between each table was about one meter, or a little more than three feet.

"One of the problems, we don't know all the activity of people," Gerba said. "It's certain, keeping social distancing is a good idea in any restaurant. But if you start looking at people's activities, they go to the restroom, go to the cashier, go to the bar. They have to get up and walk past other people."

Gerba said information is lacking and he'd like to see more data on what contamination is like in a restaurant.

MORE: Do Phoenix restaurants have to close if employees contract COVID-19?

Misting fans might actually give diners an advantage because it's better to have moving air than stagnant air, Gerba and Betterton said.

Both the CDC and the World Health Organization have stated there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through water, The Republic reported in May as Arizona began reopening.

"Misters that come with a fan, that would be a positive thing because it keeps air moving and it would dilute any virus droplets in the air," Betterton said. "Even if the fan is blowing in same direction as you, it's still better than somebody sneezing on your face with no moving air. If those are the two choices, I would go for moving air.

As the virus can survive several hours in the air, it also depends on how far apart people are, Gerba added. The advantage with rapid air movement is that if a person sneezes at a table, the air is moving so fast it can dilute the droplets.

"The odds are working in your favor," Gerba said.

While it's not possible to wear a mask while eating and drinking, Betterton recommended that if people choose to eat at restaurants, they bring a mask for other activities, such as waiting at the restroom and standing in line to pay at the cash register.

Betterton said he understands that taking extra safety precautions, such as wearing a mask and keeping six feet apart, is "going to get old." But the virus isn't going to go away magically just because people don't want it here anymore, he said.

"People should be more respectful of others' health, even if theyre not respectful of their own health," he said. "Its here, it hasnt gone away, incidents are increasing. Until we get a vaccine and or a cure, were all going to be vulnerable."

Got a story tip about what's going on in the food & dining industry? Reach the reporter at Priscilla.Totiya@azcentral.com. Follow @priscillatotiya on Twitter and Instagram.

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Is it safer to dine on a restaurant patio instead of inside? We asked 2 Arizona experts - AZCentral