Dr. Fauci Recommends Avoiding These Places During the Pandemic

Some businesses might be operating as normal throughout the United States, but that doesn't mean they should, according to Anthony Fauci, M.D. (opens in new tab), immunologist and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In fact, during an appearance on MSNBC, he said that three types of businesses may be most likely to spread the novel coronavirus.

On Sept 17, Dr. Fauci told All In host Chris Hayes (opens in new tab) that closing gyms, bars, and restaurants (opens in new tab) helped Arizona, New York, and Texas slow the spread of COVID-19.

"In fact, the CDC just came out—if you go on their website—with a figure that's really telling. It shows the odds of risk of different types of situations that give you a higher risk of transmissibility," he said.

Dr. Fauci is referring to a weekly Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report (opens in new tab) that studied COVID-19 cases in 11 outpatient healthcare facilities. Data shows that 7.8 percent of adults with COVID had visited a gym in the past two weeks while 8.5 percent visited a bar or coffee shop. However, dining out is even riskier: 40.9 percent of people who tested positive for COVID-19 had eaten at a restaurant.

"When you have restaurants indoors in a situation were you have a high degree of infection in the community, [and] you’re not wearing a mask, that’s a problem," said Dr. Fauci.

Although we're still learning exactly how the novel coronavirus spreads, experts say better ventilation is needed to reduce the risk of airborne transmission indoors. The CDC is currently reviewing its recommendations regarding airborne transmission (opens in new tab).