Experiment demonstrates how buffets could aid spread of coronavirus

An experiment has set out to show how buffets can spread infection, following reports they could have been a major transmission point of Covid-19 on cruise ships.

Japanese state broadcaster NHK worked with infection experts to demonstrate how widely contact could spread an infection.

A video of the experiment shows 10 people entering a buffet restaurant, one of whom has been ‘infected’ with a paint invisible to the naked eye.

Half an hour later lights illuminating the spread of the paint (pictured) showed it had spread to the hands of all participants and the faces of the majority. It could also be seen on food, jugs, cutlery, table cloths and tongs.

Kentaro Iwata, an infectious disease specialist from Kobe University in Japan, told CNN the experiment did not amount to proof that Covid-19 had been spread via buffets, but did show the possibility of the spread by contact.

To view the video click here.