We’ve been living through the Covid-19 pandemic for over a year now and we’re still learning how to deal with it. One of the major factors for catching or avoiding the disease, for example, is quite simple – the places we visit.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently declared on CNN that as the country is going into a harsh winter, we should all be aware of the 5 every-day locations where virtually 80% of all Covid-19 transmissions take place.
In his passionate speech, Dr. Gupta also warned that the country is at a “breaking point” and that avoiding the spread of the disease is actually very simple.
“It’s really these five primary locations where 80 percent of viral transmissions are happening in our society,” Dr. Gupta said.
1. Restaurants
According to Dr. Gupta, restaurants are one of the biggest “superspreaders” of the disease. And there’s plenty of evidence to back up this claim. According to the CDC, Americans who’ve tested positive for Covid-19 are twice as likely to report that they’ve visited a restaurant in the 14 days prior to the diagnosis.
Even without the evidence, however, this really is a no-brainer. Restaurants are densely populated indoor places where people usually can’t wear masks to eat. And given that going to a restaurant is generally not “essential” for our everyday life, Dr. Gupta’s point here is worth thinking about.
2. Bars and nightclubs
Similar to restaurants, bars are an equally dangerous place in the midst of a pandemic. Both Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Robert Redfield have also confirmed that nightclubs and bars are two of the worst places to visit during a pandemic.
“Close the bars, open the schools,” Fauci said recently. “And that’s it and that really succinctly says it.”
3. Coffee shops
Cafes can be a bit “safer” to visit than restaurants or bars but only if you wear a mask, keep your distance from the other customers, and just take your coffee-to-go. Unfortunately, lots of people don’t do that.
Even after 12 months of the pandemic, over 2 million recorded deaths worldwide, 400,000+ deaths in the U.S., and an average of ~4,000 more each day after the Christmas and New Years holidays, one would think that people won’t just sit in for coffees, eating bagels and laughing in each other’s faces. And yet, that’s exactly what many people are still doing.
4. Hotels
Hotels and motels might feel like safer places than a bar or a restaurant. After all, in a hotel, you can spend most of the time in your own room, right? The stats, however, don’t really support this.
Hotels and motels lead to plenty of interactions with other people and most of these interactions tend to be with people from other states and countries. All of this is a big No-No if you want to stay safe during the pandemic or trying to avoid being a spreader of the disease yourself.
5. Houses of worship
Many people might not like to hear this but churches and other houses of worship are a huge cause for concern during the pandemic. There are countless recorded cases of churches, mosques, and synagogues leading to superspreader events.
Since the very beginning of the pandemic, health officials have been recommending that religious people try and perform their prayers at home for the time being or at least follow the CDC’s safety guidelines.
What can we do?
Given that there’s still a long way to go before we’re done with this disease, it’s hard to force people to never visit any of these 5 locations. That’s why it’s important to not only try and limit your visits to restaurants, bars, and churches but also to make sure that you keep yourself and those around you safe while you’re there.
Wearing face masks, keeping a distance from other people, and washing your hands are the three proven ways to protect yourself and your peers.