We Need To Know Other Patrons Are Free Of The Coronavirus
Like most people around the world, I am itching to get back out to the restaurant/bars, bars and nightclubs to have a few drinks with others, to mingle and meet new people.
But I won’t feel comfortable doing it until everyone in the establishment is tested and proved negative for the coronavirus.
The reason is because of what happened the first weekend of May in South Korea. Dozens of people came down with coronavirus after going out and officials traced it to a 29-year-old man who went to three nightclubs and later tested positive.
As a result, 2,100 establishments in Seoul were shut down by the city’s mayor and officials are trying to track down the nearly 2,000 people who were in the same places as the man, as well as nearby bars.
So one single infected person led to others getting the virus and the shutting down of every bar in the city. This one instance makes it clear that before bars, restaurants and even concerts and sporting events can safely re-open, every single person going to them needs to be tested and have a negative result.
People can do this in advance and then be issued a “coronavirus free” card which is good for three or six months, or maybe even a year, whatever length health officials determine is the proper amount of time.
If this sounds like an impossible task – especially considering here in the U.S., where only 200,000-250,000 people per day are being tested and in many cities only those with symptoms are being allowed to go to designated testing sites – it’s not.
For one, a company right here in San Diego, Quidel Corp, has developed a test that provides immediate results. Testing is from swaps swiped inside the nasal cavity. It is called an antigen test and it has been authorized by the FDA.
If this is as simple as it sounds, then potential patrons could get tested on-site when they go out to bars, restaurants, concerts and events.
Without knowing everyone out in a bar or club is negative, I won’t feel safe going back into a place.
However, if I have the confidence that everyone is fine – and they know the same – then we could all enjoy nightlife much as it has been in the past.
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