After one year of trying to be safe and obeying stay-at-home orders, COVID-19 cases are still spiking.
Outdoor dining provides options for customers to enjoy their food while keeping their distance with each other maskless.
But is it worth the risk of possibly affecting employees and other customers who could pass it on to their loved ones and endanger their lives for the luxury?
According to Healthline, while many restaurant owners are frustrated at the tighter restrictions on their businesses, some public health experts say the restrictions are necessary to reign in the spread of the virus.
Healthline added that people are spending an extended period of time in close contact with other people, and they have to take their masks off to eat and drink.
Los Angeles County’s outdoor dining will slow down the process of reducing new cases and continue to create an unsafe environment for everyone.
KTLA news reported the risk of transmitting COVID-19 increases when people from different households gather in close proximity for extended periods without masks or other face coverings talking and laughing.
Forcing waiters to serve customers and have close contact with cooks and other coworkers is unfair and can cause excessive stress.
Food service workers who serve and clean up leftover trash and utensils from customers daily have a greater chance of catching the virus and unknowingly taking those germs home with them.
Restaurant owners should think about their employees and consider their health and safety, remembering that they also matter and satisfying customers by providing availability to eat at their location should be the last thing on their mind.
Unemployment rates have skyrocketed ever since the pandemic began. People are either struggling to find a job or losing one. At this point, there is no choice saying no to any job that’s available.
The urgency for customers to eat out at restaurants shows that no matter the circumstances, lavishness at fancy restaurants and fine dining matters most.
Food delivery services like GrubHub, Uber Eats, and Postmates are readily available and convenient for people to stay safe while eating their favorite meals in the comfort of their own home.
With vaccines slowly in motion, President Biden is pushing and expecting to provide every American adult the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of May, but that shouldn’t mean we should move forward without remembering to still take precautions and consider other people’s risks.