Q: I have a bad case of Saturday Night Fever after being cooped up for so long! Is it safe to head out to the nightclubs/bars now that they’re reopening in my state?
A: Sadly the answer is no. (Editorial note: this Nerdy Girl really loves to dance, and empathizes).
In epidemiology speak, nightclubs and bars are “dense contact environments” exhibiting the following two traits:
(1) Large crowds;
(2) Physical and/or close contact among patrons for extended amounts of time.
Unfortunately these conditions have led to numerous “super-spreading” events, where the presence of a single infected individual can lead to dozens of new infections. For example, after experiencing initial success stamping out the COVID-19 epidemic, South Korea is currently fighting an outbreak originating from a nightclub district (related article here).
A good general principle as we start venturing out more is to reduce (and ideally avoid) dense contact environments.
But by all means, keep dancing….at home.
