MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s common advice: if you feel sick, stay home. But not everyone knows when they have the coronavirus.
At Qawha Coffee Bar on Main Street, the drinks are still flowing, just a little less than usual.
Owner Farhat Othmani said business is down, and his guard is up.
“I don’t like to touch the customer’s credit card,” Othmani said. “If they give me cash, I think about it twice, too.”
He also said he considers this before he comes into work.
“Making sure I’m feeling good that day,” he said.
But experts said that’s not enough.
“Asymptomatic refers to someone infected with the virus and has no symptoms: no cough, no shortness of breath, no nothing,” said Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, infectious disease specialist at Baptist Hospital.
According to Threlkeld, the Centers for Disease Control’s latest estimates say about 30 percent of people who have coronavirus don’t show any symptoms. That estimate is a lot lower than what they thought when the pandemic started, but it doesn’t change anything about how to react.
“The practicality of whether it’s 30 percent or 50 percent or 70 percent is very little. If a third of the people out there are asymptomatic then I am going to be very careful encountering you,” he said.
He meant people should keep six feet away, wear face coverings, washing hands and stay outside if possible.
He emphasized people should not let their guard down as the pandemic continues and more businesses like Qawha reopen.
“I want to survive the economy, so I think about surviving—making the mortgage payment,” Othmani said.
Threlkeld also said they have learned people are most likely to spread the virus in the one to two days before they start showing symptoms.
