Sharing a meal? Consider who you are with before removing that mask, experts say

BOSTON — Medical experts say when it comes to sharing a meal, whether you’re eating at home, at a restaurant, or even at a breakroom at the office, when you remove a mask to eat - if you aren’t social-distancing - there’s a risk for spreading COVID-19.

In fact, some recent cases of COVID-19 among staff members at Massachusetts General Hospital were traced back to staff members eating together during breaks.

“We found that employees have eaten together with other employees less than six feet apart, and that’s led, in some cases, to additional infections,” said Dr. Erica Shenoy, the Associate Chief of Infection Control at Mass General.

She told anchor and investigative reporter Kerry Kavanaugh that a top task for the hospital has been hard at work creating spaces for employees to safely eat and drink, especially since soon it will be too cold to eat outside.

“We have developed spaces that are physically set up to allow for spacing between employees,” said Shenoy. “We have other places around the hospital setup similarly to this."

25 Investigates toured the dining tent set up for employees on hospital grounds. Shenoy said they are working to weatherize it so it can stay up throughout the winter.

Employees obviously have to remove their masks to eat and drink. Shenoy says what they’ve learned here at the hospital should be a warning for any business or school.

“As we get into the winter, where we can’t be outside on a beautiful day spaced six feet apart, it’s going to make it even harder,” Shenoy said. “Any workplace where people have to eat while they’re there. And, so I know we’re talking about healthcare today. But, I can imagine grocery store break rooms, any sort of business that has employees who need to eat while they’re there.”

We wanted to know how that would apply to restaurants, an industry that relies on people eating together.

“In Massachusetts, we have 16,000 restaurants, as of March 1st," said Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.. “Today, were 3,400 less that have not reopened.”

He says tents, like the one outside of Burton’s in Framingham, have been a lifeline for restaurants trying to stay open. But, that may soon change.

“Yeah, tents are very expensive,” Luz said. “And as we get into the season, if less and less guests are utilizing them, I think you’re going to start to see those tents roll up.”

A study recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to have dined out in a restaurant. The CDC didn’t specify whether people were dining indoors or outside.

But, Luz told Kavanaugh restaurants are doing their part to keep diners safe.

“They are socially distanced," said Luz. “The bar has separation, six feet, barriers up between seating, you can see the tables in the dining room the same so there’s a lot of space in between the tables.”

Luz pointed to all the restaurant regulations and inspections. He says they are so heavily regulated and none wants to shut down again. Luz argued it’s possibly safer to eat a restaurant than at a friends' house.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued data in late October that revealed the most common source of COVID-19 *clusters were households. A cluster is defined as two or more cases from the same exposure or source.

“The guests are telling us that they feel comfortable in our restaurants. And the data backs that up,” Luz said.

That data from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission found in October 97% of restaurants were in compliance with the states guidelines for COVID-19 safety protocols.

Dr. Shenoy says those protocols don’t matter once someone removes their masks to eat. She says it really comes down to who you are dining with, wherever you are. Is it the members of your household or friends and family members you haven’t seen in weeks?

“The point remains that when you’re unmasked within six feet, that is where the vulnerability is for transmission of infection. And, so that’s where you have to have a lot of attention and think about the spacing and who you’re with,” Shenoy said. “We have to act like there are no bubbles at any point just because of the nature of this infection.”

Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts

>> Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here

RESOURCES:

- Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here

- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW

- Download our free apps for your phone and smart TV