When Will You Go Back To Restaurants And Bars?

On Mother's Day I saw pictures of customers in a small diner in Colorado crowded into a restaurant, no distance between any of them.  None of them were wearing masks.  They all seemed to be having a great time, not a care in the world.  Will they pay the price?  We will find out in about 2 weeks.  It only takes one of them to be positive for the virus, even without symptoms, to infect dozens of people.  Is it worth your life to eat breakfast out as you might have done a few months ago?

Not to me.  No one enjoys eating out more than me, but I am not willing to risk my health for an hour of fun and a good meal.  Even if restaurants opened tomorrow, with social distancing inside, I would not go.  I don't think dining with servers in masks, barriers separating tables, and seats so far apart it would be hard to talk to your group, sounds fun.  Outdoor dining is a different story.  As far as we know, inside air is better than outside air, and your chances of contracting the virus are less likely.  Under certain circumstance I WOULD dine at an outside restaurant.  I'm thinking of a place like St. Tropez in the Lumberyard.  That would work. 

Bars?  Forget about it.  Part of the draw of a bar is the bustling, customer filled area, with lots of music, drinking and people in close quarters.  I don't think bars or breweries (without food) will open in California any time soon.

I do fantasize about the day we can go to our favorite restaurant without fear.  I'm afraid that time is not any time soon. 

People say that as soon as we have a vaccine everything will be fine.  Do they realize that as smart as scientists are and no matter how much money the government pours into research, vaccines can take a long time to develop, sometimes decades, sometimes never.  30 years after AIDS, we still don't have a vaccine, nor do we have one for Ebola.  I'm hopeful with so many scientists worldwide working on this, that one will be developed within the next 18 months.  Until then, I have to mostly enjoy my own cooking, and occasionally dine out at an outdoor restaurant.  My thoughts are with restaurant owners, and hope many can survive.