Having this steady air current moving at all times vastly reduces the risk of an infected person making multiple patrons and staff members sick if they come inside and sit down for an entire meal
Even after restaurants in my state were reopened during the worst period of the pandemic, I refused to eat out. The number of infections was still high and my doctor was really blunt with me about the risks. He said that people have no choice but to remove their masks when they eat. Even if every person walked in with a mask on and reattached them after every single bite, it would still result in respiratory particles getting into the air on a minute by minute basis. He said it was one of the highest risk places for COVID transmission. I was never the most notorious person for eating out at restaurants, but I still enjoyed doing it with my friends every once in a while. Out of an abundance of caution, I quit going altogether a year ago. Now I am put at ease knowing that some of my favorite local eateries have since vastly improved their ventilation systems. Some have purchased large ductwork with huge air conditioners that have fans running constantly. That means that there is constant air flow inside the restaurant even when the air conditioner doesn’t need to turn on to maintain the temperature setting on the thermostat. Having this steady air current moving at all times vastly reduces the risk of an infected person making multiple patrons and staff members sick if they come inside and sit down for an entire meal. Instead, those hypothetical viral particles will get collected by the HEPA filter inside the restaurant’s air conditioner. Between HEPA filters and UV lights, these new HVAC systems are well equipped for airborne viruses.