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Now that I've gone through the stages of being disappointed, angry, and snarky, here's an actual public health thread on why an indoor basement sing-a-long piano bar is one of the last places that should open in the middle of a pandemic that is, once again, worsening. 1/ https://twitter.com/calebloschiavo/status/1333919932736806916
I want to start by saying that I love Marie's Crisis. It is hands-down my favorite bar in the world & one of my favorite places in NYC. I love the people, the energy, the chaos, the space—everything. Everything I & my friends love about it is precisely why it should not open. 2/
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spread through respiratory particles, including droplets and aerosols, that leave our bodies when we exhale, sneeze, cough, speak, or sing. 3/
Loudness of vocalization—the type of loud, joyous singing we love at Marie's—also increases risk of transmission, and may be more likely to occur when people get drunk. We don't want Marie's to become a superspreader event like this choir practice was. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6919e6.htm 4/
Proper airflow is particularly important for singing environments. In the case of singing, particles may be more likely to follow airflow rather than remain on surfaces, so efficient and effective ventilation is essential. 5/
Environment affects risk. Air filtration may reduce this risk, but we have limited evidence on its effectiveness ( https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.0c03247). UV radiation may also reduce risk, but it carries its own health risks alongside similarly limited evidence ( https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/uv-lights-and-lamps-ultraviolet-c-radiation-disinfection-and-coronavirus). 6/
However, even with active ventilation, indoor activities with singing (like a choir or showtunes piano bar) carry significant risk of transmission without full mask-wearing. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218114 7/
Another important factor in risk is the duration of gathering. Reducing the length of indoor gatherings is essential to reducing risk. It's unclear if/how this would be done or tracked, but longer time of exposure increases risk of transmission if someone has the virus. 8/
These great COVID risk reduction guidelines from Delaware include: constant masking, only gathering with household members, increased social distancing when unmasked, increased cleaning/environmental safety, and outdoor>indoor. https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/177/2020/10/Guidance_Singing_Vocalization_Yelling_Band_10.5.20_update.pdf 9/
Some of the Marie's plans look good! Air filtration and UVC light, fully disinfecting tables between seatings, using virtual menus, a virtual instead of physical queue to enter, reduced capacity and limited seating options—all may help reduce risk. https://www.mariescrisiscafe.com/covidsafety 10/
However, so much of this is hygiene theatre. Asymptomatic & pre-symptomatic cases are common & carry transmission risk ( https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03141-3). Temperature checks, inconsistent masking, and limited cleaning will only do so much.
https://www.insider.com/bogus-coronavirus-protection-measures-that-are-just-hygiene-theater-2020-10 11/
https://www.insider.com/bogus-coronavirus-protection-measures-that-are-just-hygiene-theater-2020-10 11/
My concern is that the success of this requires customers' TOTAL compliance with safety guidelines (way less likely when drunk) and so much additional burden on staff to maintain customers' guideline adherence & do additional work to ensure safety (full/proper cleaning, etc.) 12/
I also worry about what happens when there is an exposure. Will the person disclose? Or will they feel too much shame or be afraid to ruin the Marie's experience for others by shutting it down? Will staff be afraid to lose their job? (We've seen all of these things happen.) 13/
COVID harm reduction is great, but should not be used when harm avoidance is possible. Marie's does not *need* to open. If it's about $$$, why not fundraise? Why reopen a basement piano bar as NY COVID cases continue to rise (soon to be exacerbated by the thanksgiving spike)? 14/
Marie's Crisis is a space where I have always felt safe & wholly myself. But I do not love it to death. It's a question of when, not if, people get sick and die. I am angry because I care. This is an irresponsible move that I hope gets shut down before it's too late. 15/15
