Watch how swiftly coronavirus can spread in a restaurant

Across the country, a number of states have begun reopening, including restaurants, albeit with precautionary measures. Yet despite the huge toll the pandemic has taken on the restaurant industry, many owners worry that reopening isn’t safe right now. A new study from China showing how easily the novel coronavirus can spread in restaurants suggests their fears are warranted, reports CNN. Here’s why reopening restaurants will be extra tricky.

n a recent video, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta said scientists are still teasing apart the details of how the novel coronavirus spreads. So far, we know it spreads easily, possibly even by those without symptoms. The droplets an infected person spews when they sneeze, cough, or talk, which contain the virus, can settle in the noses and mouths of neighboring individuals.

Gupta then explained a study of “a real-life example” of novel coronavirus transmission in a restaurant. The New York Times reports that the incident occurred at a restaurant in Guangzhou, China in January. Continue reading.