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    Why are indoor settings higher risk for Covid – and are restaurants safe?

    Experts say poor airflow, reduced distancing and prolonged exposure are key factors in the spread of coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
    by Nicola Davis Aug 07, 2020 3 minutes
    Chairs on tables at a closed restaurant during a lockdown. Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

    In Aberdeen it was pubs, restaurants and golf courses. In Prague it was a nightclub. In California it was a church. Why does Covid-19 appear to spread more easily in some places than others?

    Prof Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, says there are some key factors that make indoor settings higher risk, in particular poor airflow, difficulties in distancing from others, and prolonged exposure.

    According to a published in June by researchers including Dr Sebastian Funk of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, most clusters of infection are linked to indoor settings ranging from factories to shopping areas. The research also suggested that some settings may have particular risks: for example, in meat-packing factories the chilly climate, prolonged close proximity of workers and the need to shout over the noise of the machines may have increased the risk of transmission.

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