As New York gets ready to reopen, experts are calling out the state over its requirement to require plexiglass dividers between diners at indoor restaurants.
From the New York Times:
Restaurants will be allowed to place tables closer together to reach 100 percent capacity if five-foot-tall solid partitions are placed between them, Mr. Cuomo said. And theaters and other large venues, including ballparks, are permitted to return to full capacity, instead of one-third full, if they require patrons to show proof of vaccination.
Paula Olsiewski, who lists “expertise in indoor microbiology & chemistry” in her bio, calls the move “very disappointing”:
Very disappointing – too much plexiglass, not enough ventilation – thanks for insights @linseymarr New York Is Reopening. Here’s What That Actually Means. https://t.co/X7LcNaxqLG
— Paula Olsiewski (@polsiewski) May 19, 2021
And Linsey Marr, an often-quoted engineering professor at Virginia Tech, said that adding the dividers “may actually be harmful”:
Stop wasting money on plexiglass! It does not help in this type of setting and may actually be harmful because it impedes proper ventilation. See this outbreak of 20+ people in a sports bar that had distancing and plexiglass. https://t.co/lry4jWe0pE (great story, see whole🧵) https://t.co/icdAqulCVo
— Linsey Marr (@linseymarr) May 19, 2021
The inertia here is so great that the plexiglass stays up even though there’s so much evidence that it just doesn’t work:
"Where did you have lunch?"
Case: "In a sports bar. It was packed because of the big game. But I don't know anyone else at the other tables."
(Tables are 6 ft apart and separated by plexiglass. So there were no other close contacts in this crowded sports bar!) 4/@linseymarr pic.twitter.com/dodbSyQP87
— KJ Seung (@kj_seung) May 13, 2021
Lather. Rinse. Repeat:
NY: opening restaurants at 100% as long as they have barriers between
Experts: “All of us in public health have been on the anti-Plexiglas crusade,” said Dr. El-Sadr. “Plexiglas is not protective.”
Cool cool cool https://t.co/2x3sQF0NWT
— molly ꗯ (@heymolly) May 19, 2021
Well, we’ll mention they’re useless if that helps:
https://twitter.com/rojospinks/status/1395013659865325570
And it’s not like this is anything new yet states keep these mandates in place:
⬆️risk with in-person schooling vs. not,
but interventions in school reduce this risk, the more the merrier.
NOTE: plexiglass is associated with higher risk! Likely it inhibits proper ventilation of the room, allowing aerosols to accumulate more.https://t.co/vAcPMqAqjs https://t.co/MsizEN6l2u pic.twitter.com/PgnOJGorRB
— Linsey Marr (@linseymarr) May 6, 2021
Narrator: “They did not spend the money on a portable HEPA air filtration unit instead”:
I agree with Matthew Callstrom's point about plexiglass: "we came to the conclusion they didn’t add value to masking and distancing." Spend the money on a portable HEPA air filtration unit instead. https://t.co/YY4XT7oSqg
— Linsey Marr (@linseymarr) March 20, 2021
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