Ya know, if bars, and restaurants really wanted to be able to stay open for indoor service for any length of time, wouldn't they install a significant amount of air-circulation equipment to reduce the risk of spreading covid? Investing in some large fans to just move indoor air around, so the virus is less transmittable, would be fairly cheap, and somewhat effective thing to do. Along with the other safety protocols for mask wearing, socially distancing, sanitizing, etc.
Did anyone who visited lots of restaurants notice this being done when the restrictions were lifted? Did the establishments seem interested in protecting their employees, and patrons in any significant ways that stood out?
Air exchange was no part of regulations shutting them down.
Air make up systems and air balance are no new thing , their pretty inherent.
Most restaurants have a lot of air leaving from fryers,broilers,grill ect. . That means make up air has to enter the system in exchange.
Smoke eaters used to be employed , pre-smoking ban. Not sure the effect on a virus though.
Costs are going to come with any attempts at air treatment and sanitation.
Restaurant equipment is not cheap to start with. Codes require lots of stainless ect..
A restaurant with any age to it likely has plenty of updates the owner/company would like.
And in my experience , just keeping up with maintaining existing structure and systems is a matter of spending money with no return on it.
An example is grease in hoods and stacks. Gotta keep them clean or risk fire.
So you pay a business to clean them. How often?
A place I trained a replacement I cautioned about keeping a hood clean caught fire.
Guess what he answered when I asked about hood cleaning??
And if you look , you'll see grease stains on some roofs.
Do the folks running the place not know about it? Or is it a cost deal?
Now ask them to drop a few grand or more on a better H.V.A.C. air exchange system with a faster air turn over ,wit an anti bacterial device in it. Plus the cost of maintaining it.
The amount of vacuum to pull aerosol spray from a patrons sneeze would need to be pretty strong. And near the patron.
Yes , decent ventilation is a good thing.
Treating incoming air (unless air is recycled) won't change much.
Treating outgoing air only protects where that air goes after.
That leaves air already in the building to focus virus concern on.
Where in it's movement would we treat it? Air is coming in and leaving.
Increasing turn over rate increases speed of air movement.
Are we then dragging air from one table across another or more?