Prognosis
Starbucks Cafe’s Covid Outbreak Spared Employees Who Wore Masks
- Employees avoided infection, while 27 visitors got coronavirus
- Incident illustrates ways to limit SARS-CoV-2 spread indoors
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After a woman with the coronavirus visited a Starbucks cafe north of Seoul this month, more than two dozen patrons tested positive days later. But the four face mask-wearing employees escaped infection.
The Aug. 8 outbreak in the South Korean city of Paju is another example of how rapidly the SARS-CoV-2 virus can spread in confined, indoor spaces -- as well as ways to minimize transmission. With health authorities around the world still debating the evidence around face masks, the 27-person cluster linked to the air-conditioned coffee outlet adds more support for their mandatory use to help limit the spread of the Covid-19-causing virus.