When does outdoors stop being outdoors?
July 23, 2020 10:33 AM   Subscribe

Our state has just opened up for outdoor restaurant dining. Because of the recent rainstorm, some restaurants have now added tented "roofs" above the tables (I've seen this at outdoor weddings and events as well). Putting aside the possibility that outdoor dining may not be safe after all, is eating under a roof / tent / overhang just as safe as eating outdoors because the sides are open for ventilation, or is it basically creating a room with giant open windows where aerosolized particles can now gather? Would love any science-based answers, if this exists.
posted by Mchelly to Science & Nature (5 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Sorry to be boring about this, but there is less chance for the aerosols to escape than in an open outdoor space, but significantly more than in a closed room. Obviously these aren't "absolutes," and a single big covering moves things somewhat towards the unsafe side of the spectrum.

Personally I'd look at how big the covered space is, how many people there are and how densely packed to decide whether I felt it was reasonably safe.
posted by mark k at 11:16 AM on July 23, 2020 [4 favorites]


Just for clarification, by "tented roof" do you mean something that looks like this?
posted by mhum at 11:17 AM on July 23, 2020


Response by poster: Just for clarification, by "tented roof" do you mean something that looks like this?

Yes, exactly.
posted by Mchelly at 11:36 AM on July 23, 2020


To put some constraints on what counts as 'outdoors' when answering this question, you'd have to look at the guidance from the state. Picking NY Phase 2, arbitrarily:
For the purposes of this guidance, “outdoor space” is defined as an open-air space designated for the
consumption of food and/or beverage, which may have a temporary or fixed cover (e.g. awning or
roof) so long as such cover has at least two open sides for airflow. Within such outdoor space, all
tables with seats must be at least six feet from any other table, seat, patron, or pedestrian
thoroughfare or corridor; provided, however, if a bar or restaurant seeks to use contiguous public
space (e.g. sidewalk) pursuant to Executive Order 202.38, the applicable local municipality, if
allowing such usage, may determine alternative spacing of tables from pedestrian thoroughfares or
corridors upon a consideration of the volume of pedestrian traffic on sidewalks, availability of
sidewalk space, and avoidance of unnecessary congestion, or alternatively, the local municipality may
require the bar or restaurant to erect a physical barrier of at least five feet in height if six feet of
distance cannot be maintained between tables and a pedestrian thoroughfare or corridor.
posted by zamboni at 11:37 AM on July 23, 2020 [1 favorite]


While I don't believe this has been directly studied, you can make a logical guess based on other airborne particles. For example, you could imagine how much secondhand smoke you'd smell in a setting like that compared to an indoor room or outdoors. Based on that, I'd guess that a high tented roof as in that picture would be somewhere in between, but closer to "outdoors" than "indoors", especially if there's any wind.
posted by randomnity at 11:54 AM on July 23, 2020 [2 favorites]


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