Bloomberg Wonders if It Is ‘Safe to Dine Indoors’ Because ‘Covid Is Back’

Guests sit outside a restaurant, which extended it's outdoor area by setting tables o
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Hannah Knudsen

It has been nearly four years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but that is not stopping Bloomberg from legitimately addressing if it is “safe to dine indoors” as winter approaches and “Covid” comes “back.”

In an article titled “With Covid Back and Winter Approaching, Is It Safe to Dine Indoors?” Bloomberg addressed a question from a reader, who asked if it was a bad idea to dine indoors with “Covid” and flu season on the horizon.

The author, Kristen Brown, admitted that she has “no idea” how many coronavirus cases are around the city of New York right now after claiming that she was able to recite the number “from memory” last year, in 2022. While she acknowledged that coronavirus risk has “faded into the background” for countless Americans, she asserted that “some people are still deeply worried,” nearly four years later.

She appealed to Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at University of Illinois at Chicago, who essentially said that decisions should be based on individual risk tolerance.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, we had a deadly novel virus circulating for which we had no immunity, no vaccine, and no treatments,” Wallace explained.

“Because we all had the exact same lack of immunity, it was very easy to make sweeping population recommendations that applied to everyone,”
she added, failing to mention the vaccine does not prevent one from contracting the virus or transmitting it, either — a fact President Biden knows all too well.

Rather, Wallace attributed the seeming lack of coronavirus surges not only to increased population immunity but “the availability of vaccines and treatments.”

FLASHBACK — Anthony Fauci Urges Americans to Get Tested Before Thanksgiving: “Everybody Should Be Vaccinated”:

White House

So, it really is up to the individual to assess their risk, according to Bloomberg. Brown wrote:

To go back to the question of indoor dining, ask yourself: How worried are you about getting sick? And are you vaccinated and boosted? Will you be around loved ones with risk factors, such as illness or age, that make them more likely to become severely ill?

She also points out there are ways to make indoor dining safer. You can visit restaurants during slower periods, or pick places that are relatively spacious. Wallace says she also carries a carbon dioxide monitor with her to check whether places are well-ventilated. But keep in mind there’s no way to completely eliminate the possibility of catching Covid.

The question comes as U.S. health officials warn of what some media outlets have dubbed a “tripledemic” this winter, warning of the prevalence of the flue, coronavirus, and RSV.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also expanding surveillance for infectious diseases at four major airports — Boston Logan International, San Francisco International, Dulles International, and John F. Kennedy International. According to the report, the program, which collects nasal swabs and wastewater from arriving international travelers, will expand to test for viruses including “influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV,” according to CNN.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is attempting to convince Canadians to continue to get additional coronavirus shots, publishing a promotional video last week wherein he claimed to receive a booster and flu shot. In it, he appears to mock vaccine skeptics, wearing a shirt which reads, “vaccines cause adults.”

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