Even With St. Patrick's Day Parades Called Off For Coronavirus, Chicago Bars Preparing For Crowds This Weekend
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Chicago loves to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and although coronavirus concerns prompted the city to postpone this weekend's parades, the COVID-19 crisis won't keep everyone home this weekend.
Some celebrations are going above and beyond what they normally do for health and safety during St. Patrick's Day weekend.
The parades are shut down, but bars are not, and some are still expecting big crowds. With that comes big responsibility.
The beer is flowing, the bar is stocked, but there's still one more shipment on its way to Fado Irish Pub on Friday.
"I've got a company coming in, putting in commercial grade sanitizer in our doorways, in our bathrooms," manager Kieran Ahern said.
Employees have always cleaned at Fado, but now they're stepping it up a notch, according to Ahern. Staff is using sanitizer to wipe down tables, menus, and door handles throughout the day.
"So we're doing a lot more things than we ordinarily would," he said.
They're not just cleaning, they're disinfecting.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said cleaning is the removal of germs or dirt, while disinfecting is the use of chemicals to actually kill germs. Experts say the main way COVID-19 spreads is from being within six feet of someone with the virus, especially if they're coughing or sneezing.
Fado is expecting a crowd this weekend, but less than what they'd see on a parade day. They're far from the only bar trying to stay as clean as possible this weekend.
"Everybody needs to be smart in respect of what they do. Everybody needs to think for themselves, and we're taking some precautions here," Ahern said.
Of course, medical experts say if you are feeling even a little bit sick, you should sit out this St. Patrick's Day weekend. Stay home and rest.
If you're going out to eat this weekend, the CDC says there is no evidence at this time COVID-19 can be spread through food. Nonetheless, the agency wants people to always wash their hands before preparing a meal for general food safety.