Corby Kummer: The 'Big Problems' With Indoor Dining

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that adults who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to have eaten at restaurants. But the study is facing criticism for its lack of distinction between diners who ate at indoor versus outdoor establishments, food writer Corby Kummer said.

“I do trust the CDC, but the study they released did not differentiate between bars or restaurants or between indoor and outdoor dining,” he said.

It’s a challenge for restaurants to successfully and safely have indoor dining, Kummer said, but possible if everyone, specifically diners, follow health guidelines.

“There are going to be big problems for restaurants trying to open indoors, but there’s a path forward if they follow the rules and insist that their diners follow the rules,” he said. “As for bars, they’re probably not go to reopen until there’s a vaccine that’s well established, and that’s a good year.”

Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.