Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Did New York report that exposure in restaurants and bars is associated with 1.4% of coronavirus infections in the state?

Sunday, December 20, 2020

By Laura Brickman

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YES

On Dec. 11, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released the state's first comprehensive numbers regarding contact tracing of coronavirus infections. Based on 46,000 cases identified between September and December (out of a total of 700,000 cases recorded since the pandemic began), restaurants and bars accounted for approximately 1.4% of exposures in the state. Household social gatherings accounted for nearly three-quarters of the cases, the state found.

Gov. Cuomo halted indoor service at all bars and restaurants in New York City from Dec. 14 until further notice.

Attempts to trace infections have varied in accuracy and in findings across the country. In Washington, D.C., authorities said restaurants and bars were associated with 13.8% of infections between Aug. 1 and Nov. 26. In San Diego, they accounted for 9.2% of exposures between June 5 and Dec. 12.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Periscope: Gov. Cuomo's Dec. 11 briefing, New York state contact tracing data (see 11:39)

Spectrum News: What New York's contract tracing data shows

Ithaca Voice: Contact tracing data and restaurant, bar restrictions

District of Columbia: Dec. 6 COVID-19 outbreak data guide

San Diego County: Dec. 15 weekly COVID-19 surveillance report (see p. 10)

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.