An indoor bar opening event in rural Illinois in February has been linked to 46 cases of COVID-19, a new study finds highlighting the dangers that indoor gatherings can pose in places like bars.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that the incident was linked to 26 COVID-19 cases among customers at the bar opening and three people in the bar, which spread the virus to 17 people who not at the opening of the bar, known as ‘secondary cases’.
The study showed the effects an event could have, including twelve people in eight households with children, two in a school sports team and three in a nursing home. A school serving 650 students was closed as a result of the outbreak, and one nursing home resident was admitted to the hospital.
The results serve as a warning as many states lift restrictions on pubs and other businesses. Illinois recently delayed a further reopening time as hospitalizations increased, but pubs and restaurants are currently open with capacity constraints.
“These findings show that opening up institutions such as bars, where mask wear and physical distance are difficult, may increase the risk of transmission by the community,” the study reads.
The CDC has recommended a range of measures to reduce the risk in institutions such as bars, including reducing occupancy, keeping people at least six feet apart, improving ventilation and emphasizing outdoor seating, which is significantly safer .
The virus was introduced to the nursing home by a participant in the bar event who worked in the nursing home and was asymptomatic, resulting in another staff member and two residents becoming infected. None of the four were vaccinated, although all the staff and residents of the nursing home had previously been offered the vaccine, according to the study, which apparently highlights the problem of vaccine hesitation.
The study also shows how important it is to stay home when you are sick or when COVID-19 is diagnosed. According to the study, one participant in the bar event, who was asymptomatic, was diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before the event. Another four people had symptoms while attending the event and thereafter COVID-19 was diagnosed, the study said.
The bar has a capacity of about 100 people, but it is unclear how many people were at the event, the study said. Participants did not maintain distance from each other, used an “inconsistent” mask and there was ‘no airflow to the outside’.
The study found that the level of coronavirus in rural Illinois province, which has not been identified, more than doubled since the event, from about 41 cases per 100,000 people to about 86 cases per 100,000.
Indoor restaurants and bars have long been seen as risk factors for the spread of COVID-19, as they bring people together indoors in close contact, and it is difficult to wear a mask when eating and drinking.
“Similar eating or drinking events, such as an on-site dining room at restaurants, weddings, and nightclubs, are associated with a greater risk of acquiring COVID-19 and have the potential to become major distribution opportunities,” the study found. .