Acta Scientific Computer Sciences

Research Article Volume 3 Issue 9

Do Socialization Restrictions Prevent Restaurants from Becoming Covid Hotspots?

Aviral Bhatnagar*, Himanshu Kharkwal and Jaideep Srivastava

Department of Computer Science, University of Minnesota, USA

*Corresponding Author: Aviral Bhatnagar, Department of Computer Science, University of Minnesota, USA.

Received: June 01, 2021; Published: August 05, 2021

Abstract

Simulation models for infection spread can help understand what factors play a major role in infection spread. Health agencies like the Center for Disease Control (CDC) can accordingly mandate effective guidelines to curb the spread. We built an infection spread model to simulate disease propagation through airborne transmission to study the impact of restaurant operational policies on the Covid-19 infections. We use the Wells-Riley model to measure the expected value of new infections in a given time-frame in a particular location. For the purpose of this study, we have restricted our analysis to bars and restaurants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. Our model helps identify disease hotspots within the Twin Cities and proves that stay-at-home orders were effective during the recent lockdown, and the people typically followed the social distancing guidelines. To arrive at this conclusion, we performed significance testing by considering specific hypothetical scenarios. At the end of the study, we discuss the reasoning behind the hotspots, and make suggestions that could help avoid them.

Keywords: Simulation; Covid-19; Wells-Riley Model; Hotspot Detection

Bibliography

  1. W Cullen., et al. “Mental health in the covid-19 pandemic”. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine5 (2020): 311-312.
  2. K Dube., et al. “Covid-19 cripples global restaurant and hospitality industry”. Current Issues in Tourism11 (2021): 1487-1490.
  3. S Maital and E Barzani. “The global economic impact of covid-19: A summary of research”. Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research (2020): 1-12.
  4. A Moreland., et al. “Timing of state and territorial covid-19 stay-at-home orders and changes in population movement—united states, march 1-may 31, 2020”. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report35 (2020): 1198.
  5. C Noakes., et al. “Modelling the transmission of airborne infections in enclosed spaces”. Epidemiology and Infection5 (2006): 1082-1091.
  6. P K Ozili and T Arun. “Spillover of covid-19: impact on the global economy”. Available at SSRN 3562570, (2020).
  7. B Pfefferbaum and C S North. “Mental health and the covid-19 pandemic”. New England Journal of Medicine 6 (2020): 510-512.
  8. E Riley., et al. “Airborne spread of measles in a suburban elementary school”. American Journal of Epidemiology5 (1978): 421-432.
  9. GN Sze To and CYH Chao. “Review and comparison between the wells-riley and dose-response approaches to risk assessment of infectious respiratory diseases”. Indoor Air1 (2010): 2-16.
  10. W F Wells., et al. “Airborne contagion and air hygiene. an ecological study of droplet infections. Airborne Contagion and Air Hygiene”. An Ecological Study of Droplet Infections (1955).
  11. S L Wu., et al. “Substantial underestimation of sars-cov-2 infection in the united states”. Nature Communications1 (2020): 1-10.
  12. H Yao., et al. “Patients with mental health disorders in the covid-19 epidemic”. Lancet Psychiatry4 (2020): e21.

Citation

Citation: Aviral Bhatnagar., et al. “Do Socialization Restrictions Prevent Restaurants from Becoming Covid Hotspots?". Acta Scientific Computer Sciences 3.9 (2021): 02-06.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2021 Aviral Bhatnagar., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




Metrics

Acceptance rate35%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days

Indexed In




News and Events


  • Certification for Review
    Acta Scientific certifies the Editors/reviewers for their review done towards the assigned articles of the respective journals.
  • Submission Timeline for Upcoming Issue
    The last date for submission of articles for regular Issues is December 25, 2024.
  • Publication Certificate
    Authors will be issued a "Publication Certificate" as a mark of appreciation for publishing their work.
  • Best Article of the Issue
    The Editors will elect one Best Article after each issue release. The authors of this article will be provided with a certificate of "Best Article of the Issue"

Contact US