Have you eaten in a restaurant lately?

No, I don't think it's safe. Omicron is highly transmissible and being vaxxed and boosted doesn't seem to matter in terms of catching it. I have 2 friends who both think they got it in restaurants. This is in NYC - where you are required to show proof of vaccination to eat inside. I'm not sure if where you live even has that requirement (which didn't even seem to matter). One of them feels really shitty - it's more like a mild flu for her (fever, chills, aches and sore throat) and she is 40 with no underlying health issues.

Wait until February when this burns through and the numbers go down. That's what I'm doing. And I was eating in restaurants regularly until mid-December when Omicron showed up. Not worth the risk.

Thanks, r1. That's the direction I'm leaning, but I'm always worried I'm being too much of a MARY!!!!!!! about these things

Yes, I ate in one (inside) last week, though to be fair we were the only people eating. Everyone has different levels of risk to consider. I also think everyone is going to get it -- and since you have been vaccinated, you are very unlikely to get serious side effects.

OP you aren't being a MARY. Just hold off until mid-February. Or meet the person for a walk or something outside if you really want social interaction.

I ate a restaurant on New Year's Eve but it was for lunch. There was a party of about 14 on one side of the restaurant. My sister and I sat at a corner booth and no one but waitstaff needed to be near us. There were 2 women sitting at the first booth (our usual spot). One person at the bar. A couple of other diners came in but we were getting ready to leave by then. We felt safe.

I ate inside Dec 17th and luckily didn't catch omicron but I was worried about it. I wouldn't eat inside a restaurant in the Northeast/NYC area until at least Jan 18ish. I suspect Omicron will have crested in this area by then.

Yes, last week. And I'm going out Thursday for dinner and Friday for lunch.

I'm vaxxed and boosted and I'm not afraid of it. Everyone I know who has gotten omicron has not been very sick -- mostly tired and/or headache.

What part of the country, r7?

New England, R8

It is SO contagious, that many well respected health authorities are convinced that almost everyone will eventually get Omicron.

It can't be public policy, but the word is if you're vaxed, you're better off just getting out there, catch the virus and endure the mild cold-like symptoms to develop the needed immunity. Otherwise isolation is just a waste of time.

That's what I think, too R10. I'm not going to stop living over this fucking thing, which seems more like a nuisance unless you're in really bad shape.

My boss and four co-workers - all boosted - have Covid. Most are mild except for one.

How did they get it? All said it was from eating in restaurants..

I wouldn't fuck around with Omicron, but it's up to you.

No, I haven't. Even before Covid, I had cut down on dining in restaurants. Just disappointed in the restaurant experience, in general (including food quality). (Former restaurant worker here. No, I don't think my expectations are / were super high.)

I sat at a bar for about 15 minutes yesterday waiting for a carryout order. I've had a mild headache all day and sore throat, with occasional dizziness when I stand up. Am I gonna die???

I actually think that may be about when the omicron wave peaks.

Only if it’s worth dying for- Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden!

Everyone has their own level of risk they are okay with. I feel similar to r7, I've had my three shots so I am going to largely live my life, I'm not terrified of catching omnicron. I went out to a bar on NYE, and I met a friend for dinner yesterday.

R17 , the olive garden ???? The ONLY thing that is good there are their salads

take out only, baby

Your sarcasm meter is very broken if you can't tell that post in jest r19.

I haven't eaten in a restaurant since COVID began. I don't miss it, either.

favorite pizzeria ? now tastes horrible. I think the workers who prepared the foods moved on.

I wouldn’t risk it. You could become ill and/ or spread the virus to someone else. It hasn’t peaked yet.

A friend has it now and feels like absolute shit. Fever for 3 days, horrible sore throat and achey and exhausted. Triple vaxxed. To everyone saying it’s mild and no big deal - unless you’re some college kid - I would walk that back.

But that’s just me.

[quote] [R17] , the olive garden ???? The ONLY thing that is good there are their salads

What's so good about Olive Garden salads?

yes, absolutely

Yes, often. But here more than 90% of eligible people have been fully vaccinated and restaurants ask check your vaccination passport.

I realize that doesn't eliminate all risk, but it seems a reasonable level of precaution against that risk.

The severity of those that are vaxxed that get it is all over the place, it seems. I have friends and colleagues who range from asymptomatic and being completely knocked on their ass and in bed for a week.

Fuck China.

I am not going into restaurants, movies or other people's homes with Omicron raging.

I had a friend call today and wanted to come over to kill some time while waiting for something. I've seen his FB posts and he goes to restaurants and has recently flown commercial flights. We are driving to Palm Springs for the winter next week and are being cautious. We aren't letting anyone in the house and are double masking when doing errands. We told his wife that yesterday.

I get pissed when people who aren't taking precautions expect us to socialize with them.

Olive Garden salad? Is that a joke?

Iceberg lettuce, unripened tomato and doctored Wishbone dressing.

All you can eat! Dear God, aim higher.

[quote]I get pissed when people who aren't taking precautions expect us to socialize with them.

Why do you get pissed? Can't you politely decline?

I only get carryout at home, but I ate at restaurants a lot when I visited Florida the week before Christmas, including at Disney World. There are plenty of people in the restaurants. I didn’t catch Covid.

Y E S

Dr. Jonathan Eisen, director of the UC Davis Microbiome Special Research Program, who is an expert on microbes—organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses:

So is it safe to say that you’re not eating indoors at restaurants?

I am not eating indoors at any place. Absolutely not. No fricking way. If I’m inside a restaurant, and someone is 40 feet away, they’re still putting virus into the air in that space. And if the air is not filtered, you’re going to get it. This “6 feet apart” thing is completely wrong. That guidance was put out ages ago when there was this idea that the virus is transmitted in these big droplets, but the virus is also transmitted in what are called aerosols—little droplets that get suspended in the air. If you don’t have good air circulation and you’re sharing an indoor space with someone who’s infected, you’ll get exposed no matter how far away they are.

[quote]I also think everyone is going to get it -- and since you have been vaccinated, you are very unlikely to get serious side effects.

Also from Dr. Eisen:

That is one of my biggest concerns with this attitude of not worrying about Omicron too much because it might cause less severe symptoms. We know that long Covid is a problem for the other variants. It’s a big problem that is poorly understood medically, but is very clearly a real thing. These are real medical problems that people are having for months to now years after infection. Some people are saying everybody is going to eventually get Omicron, and that’s just the wrong attitude. We can make it so that not everybody gets it, and therefore reduce the risk of long Covid in too many people.

Just because everyone can get the flu, doesn’t mean I want it. Fuck - I don’t even want a cold.

If it means holding off on restaurants until mid-February, that’s fine.

Y'all may be waiting a LONG time.

I've been dragging my feet ... I still need to cancel.

The only thing that's stopped me is that I ate in this same restaurant in June and it was empty at lunchtime. But I know that's a huge roll of the dice.

I think the isolation over the holidays is finally getting to me -- I didn't travel and spent the time alone in my apartment.

Oh it’s safe then you go have a good time and a few days later you get omicron and die alone in a hospital.

OP if you are in NYC cases are down 20% this week if that makes you feel better. I canceled my Feb 3 trip to Florida, because , well, Florida. If it was NYC I would not have canceled.

Yes! Last 2 weeks - NYC and JC (Olive Garden, DOMO, Sky Thai, Starbucks, Haru Sushi) , Negative. However, will be scaling back to Thai takeout 1x/wk to be safer.

OP just go if your mental health is really suffering from the isolation. do you have any underlying health risks?

It's really hard to balance the mental health effects from isolation vs. a potentially mild case of covid at this point. I'm in a similar boat.

r41 I'm in Western Massachusetts

r42 how crowded were the restaurants?

R45: OG very crowded, Japanese/Thai restaurants not crowded, Starbucks crowded morning rush. The OG/Japanese restaurants require masks and vaccine cards for entry. Thai/Starbucks require masks.

R8 is an idiot with such a behind the times question

My neighbors spent one hour in a restaurant last week and their infant ended up in intensive care four days later. They were vaxxed, but had masks off while dining.

It's not worth it, what with Omicron raging.

I canceled.

Let's hope February is better.

So, OP, are you going to tally the responses and make your decision based on what percentage of people "think" you're safe or not?

r50 please see r49

I'm sorry you had to cancel OP. If it's any consolation, I've been sitting in my apartment too and didn't travel for the holidays. We just have to make it thru.

Thanks r52. I figure things will calm down in the next month or two.

I remember a brief moment in June when numbers were way down. And I finally felt comfortable eating inside in a restaurant again, for the first time since March 2020. Then Delta hit ... then Omicron.

I don't know if it's right or wrong but under the current circumstances, OP, it is very sensible. Let things play out for a few more weeks. If you need a hospital - unlikely but possible - better you have one that isn't overwhelmed.

We haven’t eaten in a restaurant since early March 2020. No way! I’m boosted but not ready to catch the Rona.

No, it is still too soon to dine in a restaurant. The last meal I had in a public setting was the day before St. Patrick's Day, 2020, when NYC went on lockdown.

Why, given the fact that Covid is still raging and people are unmasked when eating, do the seaters put people at the next table to you and not spread them out? I realize they did this to help the server, but in these times, why does it not change? Restaurant managers, what is the reason?

I had a few outdoor lunches in the summer, and a couple of coffees with people indoors in the fall (masked except for sips)—that was before the omnicorn. Not doing it now until infections hit rock bottom again.

r57 I don't know, but that did factor into my decision to cancel

the last time i went to eat inside a restaurant was December 14. I was out of town at a funeral and had no other choice. It was a rural area so i wasn't too concerned, but this was before omicron hit. I really wanted to go out and celebrate my partners birthday a few weeks ago, but we decided against it. My birthday is next month so i am hoping we can celebrate then when the omicron wave is over.

[quote] It's really hard to balance the mental health effects from isolation vs. a potentially mild case of covid at this point. I'm in a similar boat.

Uh, no it’s not. I’d rather suck it up and not get COVID. Easy choice.

I went to a restaurant for beer & a burger. I went at about 2:30 so there were only a small number of people. I'm vaxed & boosted. that was 3 days ago and so far no omicron.

I had plans to get back to something resembling normal as soon as the two weeks after my booster were up. I didn't get a chance, I got what I'm 99.9% sure is COVID three weeks after the booster, so thankfully I was boosted, but I'm on day 14 of it and still not really feeling right. Plus there are no tests to be found so I'll never really know if I had it or not, meaning I'm still going to want to isolate until the current wave dies down.

It's not fun. I wouldn't go out, personally, but also I DIDN'T go out and got it anyway (partner brought it home from work) so maybe it won't matter in the long run if you go or not.

R57 I find 40% of people in I run into in public are completely oblivious to current covid risks . You have to tell the host/hostess it’s way too close and tell them where you want to sit. Then be prepared to walk if they deny your req.

I've also balanced psychological effects of continued isolation vs. risk for Covid. Even though I'm triple vaxxed, I still won't eat inside a restaurant. Haven't since April 2020. However, I did start going back to the gym for the first time since April 2020. I wear an N95 mask, only moving it below my mouth very briefly when I drink water, and only in the locker room when no one is in close proximity. Hardly anyone is wearing a mask there, but I feel pretty safe with my N95, though it can be suffocating when working out, especially weight lifting. I've been going back regularly for three weeks and knock on wood, I haven't caught Covid. Even though I take precautions, deep down I feel it's inevitable that I will catch it at some point.

Okay R61 - glad it’s an easy choice for you.

Realistically, what are we supposed to do? Spend the rest of our lives isolating in our homes/apartments to minimize contact with people to avoid whatever the latest variant is so that healthcare systems/workers don't become overwhelmed? That's just not a sustainable way to live life over the long term.

I have made many sacrifices over the past two years to avoid getting COVID, r67.

Maybe getting it is inevitable, maybe it's not; but I am not yet prepared to admit defeat.

Good grief. Are you clinically extremely vulnerable and likely to put yourself in serious danger if you contract COVID? If not, go and eat out - everyone is comfortable with different levels of risk, but surely there comes a point where you just have to live your life as normally as you can, otherwise what's the fucking point?

People also need to consider diminishing returns. For every extra layer of protection or additional action you take, or don’t take, how much are you actually lowering your risk? Each protective action you take may reduce the risk a little bit more, but is it enough to warrant giving up something beneficial?

R69 but some people might not be at that point. In North America, the hospitals are swamped. They're asking us to reduce contact as much as possible. I went to the grocery store and the dry cleaner this morning, I didn't got to the barber. I'll let things settle a bit. As soon as the gyms re open I am going back hell or high water. That's what works for me. Your post suggests individual courage is the only consideration at present and it isn't, if it ever was.

Would you advise going to a bath house or m4m strip club? need to drink in some go-go boy beauty.