Sitting as far as possible in the open air or providing plenty of air in restaurants: in view of the nationwide relaxation of the corona rules for the hospitality industry, experts are focusing on prevention against the transmission of the virus through the air.
If possible, restaurant patrons should sit outdoors, andreas podbielski, director of the institute for medical microbiology, virology and hygiene at the university of rostock medicine, told the deutsche presse-agentur. "There are practically no infections. The coronavirus is mainly transmitted through the air." Against this the air train protects the passengers.
In the interior of restaurants or cafes, however, it becomes more problematic, said podbielski. If waiters wore masks, the guests were protected, but the guests did not wear masks when eating and could theoretically infect each other. "It’s all about how the place is ventilated," explained the hospital hygienist. Even with sufficient air exchange every six to ten minutes, there is no hundred percent guarantee.
In the "bild-zeitung" newspaper, klaus-dieter zastrow of the berlin hygiene institute had previously recommended that dishwashers be set to high temperatures of 70 degrees and above and that disinfecting detergents be used to disinfect used cutlery and crockery. Podbielski called this "completely secondary", the virus is not about contact transmission. In addition, coarse restaurants had professional winders that ran at 83 degrees. And professionally run restaurants knew how to handle cutlery and crockery properly.
Normal coiling is also "a good way to go," said the expert from rostock. Changing tablecloths or constantly disinfecting surfaces will do "relatively little" to prevent infection, in his opinion. Podbielski also stressed that hosts must be aware that if they were too lax in prevention, and hosts became centers of infection, their business could quickly be over again.
Nationwide, the corona rules for the hospitality industry have been relaxed; since monday, restaurants have been open in almost all federal states. Exceptions apply to bavaria, where for the time being only biergarten and aubenbereiche are allowed to open, and saxony-anhalt. There, innkeepers needed a special permit from the district if they wanted to open their doors as early as 18. May wanted to open. Distance rules continue to apply: in restaurants, tables and chairs must usually be 1.50 meters apart, and protective masks are mandatory in many places. In many localities guests must register. In some restaurants, for example in rhineland-palatinate or brandenburg, guests must disinfect their hands before entering the premises.