Cool Bar – Austin, Texas

I snapped this picture of a cool bar as I was leaving with my friend Chuck. We ate outside and made sure we used our masks when passing through the restaurant upon entry and exit.

Restaurants are trying their best to reduce the COVID risk and to comply with any local laws. I’m sure these plexiglass barriers are part of the plan. Who can blame them? This pandemic has adversely affected restaurants, perhaps more than any other industry. However, I wonder if the barriers just create an illusion of safety.

A vector for COVID transmission is via aerosols, which can be thought of simply as smoke. I talked about that yesterday. Do plexiglass barriers work? Perhaps some tiny amount. But I doubt they do much for aerosols transmission. In this case, the density is low, which probably helps even more.

Beyond my commentary as a non-scientist — though researched — thoughts on COVID spread, I just like this bar area. The Fuji X-E3 and modern imaging has captured this multi-colored bar with a admirable degree of realism. I wish the best for these places to survive the dark winter, and well into next year, until the pandemic subsides.

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