In view of declining coronavirus cases in the state and city, the Maharashtra government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) relaxed the ongoing curbs. However, the civic body has refrained from extending the dine-in hours.
The civic body claims the reason for not operating dine-in facilities fully is that indoor dining, mainly in air-conditioned, closed spaces is considered high risk for the transmission of COVID-19.
“Restaurants are the only place where you have to take off your mask. That is why restrictions on restaurants have been maintained in many cities,” said Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of Maharashtra's COVID-19 Task Force.
Rajneesh Bhardwaj, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), said, the concentration of these particles in the air is high, which makes it dangerous.
“Air-conditioned eating places are at a high risk of spreading the infection. The risk can be slightly reduced in non-air-conditioned, well-ventilated spaces, and even less so in open-air spaces. We must not forget that when no one wears a mask and the virus is in the air, the risk always increases,” Rajneesh added.
A study published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science in 2020 mentioned that studied a restaurant setting said that droplet transmission can occur at a distance greater than 2 metres (6 feet) if there is direct airflow from an infected person in an indoor setting.
At present, restaurants are allowed to remain open for dine-in services only up to 4 pm on all days with 50 per cent capacity. The restaurants’ association have expressed their displeasure and urged the state government to extend the operation hours.
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