After a woman with the Covid-19 visited a Starbucks cafe in north of Seoul this month, 27 patrons tested positive days later. But the 4 mask-wearing employees escaped infection.
The Aug 8 outbreak in the South Korean city of Paju is another example of how rapidly the Covid-19 can spread in confined, indoor spaces — as well as ways to minimise transmission, reported by The Star.
It may be surprising that close to 70 people may have caught the deadly virus from a single Starbucks, but health officials suspect that the ceiling-mounted air conditioning inside the store contributed to the rapid airborne spread.
The Starbucks infections have been traced to a woman who sat on the second floor of Starbucks cafe in the Paju branch on Aug 8 for around 2 hours, without face mask on.
Most of the patrons also with no face masks because they are either drinking or eating. South Korean news also reports that the employees were wearing KF-94 masks, which are almost as effective as N95 masks.
In order to curb the spread of cases, Starbucks in Korea is reducing seating capacity by at least 30% and is asking customers to use their mobile ordering system. The Paju Starbucks remains closed for the time being.
“This speaks volumes about the role masks can play,” said Ma Sang Hyuk, a paediatric infectious diseases physician at Changwon Fatima Hospital in South Korea.
“Masks may not provide 100 per cent protection, but there’s nothing out there that’s as effective.”
People, the fight is not over yet! Let’s practise social distancing, wash hand frequently and wear a mask when you are in public.