All eyes on the bars as the virus increases and Americans go to drink


“We went further,” he said. “What are you supposed to do differently than we did?”

In recent weeks, when states began to reopen public life in phases, some people celebrated their first haircuts after the coronavirus and had long-term dental cleanings. The neighborhood bars, back in business, seemed to have a special charm.

“I’m ashamed to see people go back to the bars, but I get it,” said novelist and journalist JR Moehringer, whose memoir, “The Tender Bar,” chronicles a childhood among regular tavern patrons. “It is an incredibly lonely moment in American history,” he said. “When they let us out of our houses, some of us went for a walk, and some of us went out for a beer.”

That beer can present unique risks. Bars are usually smaller and narrower than restaurants, with fewer windows, weaker ventilation systems, and less room for someone else to squeeze them. Loud music forces people to yell at each other’s faces, spraying more viral particles into the air.

Unlike restaurants where small groups stay at their own tables, bar patrons often linger and mingle with each other for hours while drinks lessen their caution, even over masks and social estrangement. Even the conversations that cheer up so many evenings in the bars, the laughter, the bragging, the stories and the jokes, can release 10 times more particles than coughing, experts say.

“The combination of all the factors: age, alcohol, time of day, all of those things come together to make it difficult for even the most conscientious bar manager,” said Kris Ehresmann, director of the Division of Epidemiology, Prevention and Control at Infectious diseases. at the Minnesota Department of Health.

  • Updated June 30, 2020

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      Common symptoms include fever, dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny nose and congested sinuses are less common. The CDC has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, and a new loss of sense of taste or smell as symptoms to watch out for. Most people get sick five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms can appear in as little as two days or as long as 14 days.

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      A comment published this month on the British Journal of Sports Medicine website notes that covering your face during exercise “comes with potential respiratory restriction problems and discomfort” and requires “balance benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks disrupt exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, president and chief scientific officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people may also experience lightheadedness during family workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.

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      The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid vacations if they need to take time off due to the virus. Gives qualified workers two weeks paid sick leave if they are sick, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for the coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. Provides 12 weeks of paid vacation to caregivers of children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is not available due to the coronavirus. It is the first time that the United States has a federally-mandated, general paid leave and includes people who generally do not obtain such benefits, such as part-time and work economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private sector workers, including those of the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

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Many of the infected people in bars and clubs are in their 20s, a group that is more likely to have milder cases of Covid-19. Health experts warn that youth with mild or no symptoms present a serious threat to older family members or other vulnerable people.

At Harper’s location point in East Lansing, contact tracing has shown that infected young adults transmitted the virus to people ages 16 to 63, health officials said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio cited the Harper Cluster as a reason to reexamine the city’s reopening rules for indoor restaurants. Harper’s has been closed until it can provide a plan to address its flaws in enforcing mask wear and social distancing, said Linda Vail, an Ingham County health officer.