Viewpoint: Weighing risk in the restaurant takeout dilemma

 

COVID-19 can live up to eight hours on cardboard takeout boxes and up to 72 on Styrofoam containers, straws, cups and plastic bags, says a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Airborne droplets can linger in the air for three to four hours after a person has coughed or sneezed.

What does that mean for locals who are supporting our beloved local restaurants and coffee shops? It means risk. Takeout and curbside service is a risk to the health of the workers and the customers, but how much?

That’s a question no one can answer yet. It may be a question some would prefer to ignore or deny.

Viewpoint: Individual efforts are meaningful, but significant federal help is essential

By Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

Every morning just before 7 a.m. Jonathan Rietmaier unlocks the doors of Mammoth Expresso, his popular CBD coffeehouse, so his employees can serve up the aromatic brew and pastries for which his small business is well known. Although strictly take-out these days, Riethmaier hadn’t changed Mammoth’s hours or staffing in an effort to help his five part-time employees.

Sponsored: Parcels and Post still shipping for New Orleans

Dear Neighbors and Friends,
As an essential business, Parcels and Post will remain open during the COVID-19 episode. We have a real-life, full-size Post Office mailbox located right inside the front door. You can drop stamped letters, prepaid USPS packages/bags, and small boxes into this box without having to encounter another human. We have lots of stamps and are providing shipping services with USPS and FedEx. UPS is also dropping off and picking up every weekday.