Researchers say air circulation in restaurants could be another culprit in spread of coronavirus

Diners walking into a restaurant might be able to tell a lot about how the establishment is mitigating the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. They can see the servers in masks, the touchless systems many are offering for payment, the frequent disinfection by staff of commonly touched surfaces.

But there’s one thing they can’t see that could play a part, according to The Washington Post:  the air around them.

For months, public health experts have described the virus as being primarily transmitted through droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze to nearby people or surfaces.

Lately, research and discussion has focused on airborne transmission over longer distances. Some scientists say COVID-19 can spread by traveling in small particles called aerosols.

“That evidence is building right now,” says Chad Roy, director of infectious-disease aerobiology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center. “It’s not as prominent a pathway [as droplets or infected surfaces], but it’s one we need to pay attention to.”

Read on for the rest of the story, which appeared in a May 29 edition of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.