Restaurants Must Elevate Safety Culture, Not Just Protocols in COVID World

After being home during the months-long COVID-19 quarantine, many people rejoiced when restaurants and bars finally reopened. They were delighted to get drinks, enjoy delicious food, and socialize. Many restaurants and bars followed proper COVID-19 protocols: enforcing proper social distancing, requiring personal protective equipment (PPE), frequently cleaning, separating dining tables, etc. But some establishments blatantly disregarded the rules—and may be, at least partly, responsible for spreading the virus.

Nationally, restaurants and bars are becoming a common source of coronavirus outbreaks. Florida is seeing a tremendous spike in coronavirus cases, some of which have been linked to local establishments. For instance, in Jacksonville Beach, 16 friends went out to celebrate a birthday together, and, days later, all 16 tested positive for COVID-19.

Since mid-March, when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in the U.S., many people have been afraid to leave their houses for fear of contracting the highly contagious, potentially deadly coronavirus. Patrons may have gotten takeout or delivery meals from their local restaurants, but many were unwilling to dine at restaurants, worried about the safety of doing so. Additionally, some restaurant employees have been reluctant to return to work, fearful about the exposure risks.

As we’ve seen over the past few weeks, their fears are legitimate. As COVID-19 cases spike in certain states—including California, Florida, and Texas—state officials are shutting down restaurants and bars again, trying to reduce the number of people contracting the virus.