Casa Mexicana Question

[ReefHound]

Regardless of location I believe the greatest danger of a buffet is recycling due to low occupancy or slow business. If it doesn't get eaten on this round often it reappears (or is reconstituted) on the next meal. How often do you think the Golden Corral does a complete re-boot on the chocolate fountain?

Yes I meant to include that and stuff that sits for hours is where inadequate temperatures cause problems. Even with high food turnover you ahve to watch how they refill. If they come out and just dump more food into the nearly empty pan that can be a problem. Bring out a completely new pan and do NOT scrape the last few spoonfuls from the old pan into the new pan.

 

[Charred]

Seems to me this could be solved with gallon squirt bottles of hand sanitizer placed at the beginning and end of the buffet, maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask until seated with their food. What causes concern is probably that everyone's hands are touching the same serving utensils and how people tend to crowd buffets. People wipe down the handles of shopping carts that are touched by 100's of people every day. If everyone used hand sanitizer before touching a shopping cart or a serving utensil they wouldn't get contaminated in the first place. I personally always grab a shopping cart from the parking lot that has been baking in the sun and then sanitize the handle and my hands when I enter the grocery store. "Under levels of simulated sunlight representative of midday on the summer solstice at 40oN latitude, 90% of the infectious virus is inactivated every 6.8 minutes. For simulated sunlight representative of the winter solstice at 40oN latitude, 90% of the infectious virus is inactivated every 14.3 minutes."

What you describe is not sufficient. If a person cleans their hands, then touches their eyes, nose or mouth, their hands are contaminated. Most people touch their face with out even knowing it constantly.

These days I wear glasses restrainers just so my glasses don't slide down while I am in a store forcing me to touch them.

 

[ReefHound]

What you describe is not sufficient. If a person cleans their hands, then touches their eyes, nose or mouth, their hands are contaminated. Most people touch their face with out even knowing it constantly.

These days I wear glasses restrainers just so my glasses don't slide down while I am in a store forcing me to touch them.

True, but if taken far enough then any presence of a person in any manner could be insufficient. Did you just touch the elevator button that someone else touched? Did you just turn off the faucet in a sink? Did you just open a door? Unless there is a personal attendant following you around and immediately sanitizing everything you touch then there is a risk. At some point, we have to implement reason. Freshly washed hands and freshly sanitized objects are extremely likely to be safe for the 60 seconds or less it takes to put food on your plate.

 

[mediumone]

True, but if taken far enough then any presence of a person in any manner could be insufficient. Did you just touch the elevator button that someone else touched? Did you just turn off the faucet in a sink? Did you just open a door? Unless there is a personal attendant following you around and immediately sanitizing everything you touch then there is a risk. At some point, we have to implement reason. Freshly washed hands and freshly sanitized objects are extremely likely to be safe for the 60 seconds or less it takes to put food on your plate.

Agreed. Anything short of total isolation carries risk. It boils down to each person's sense of acceptable risk.
For example, I wear my kn95's more often than the wife does, (she does wear the 3 layer "surgical" mask at all times).But there will be some situations where I won't wear one at all, and she registers her disagreement. When that situation arises, I don't think I'm being stupid or cavalier. It's just that my perception of the risk is so insignificant, that I choose not to bother.

 

[deepsea21]

I hope Casa Mexicana has taken advantage of the slowdown to finally fix that darned escalator.

I've been staying there now for 15? years. When the CM was new the escalator was totally open to the outdoors and they added the doors and closed in the upper floor by the pool deck with glass later that you see today. Rain and more rain, street flooding and surges from the cars passing by (as well as a hurricane) sent water pouring into the lower mechanics of that escalator. That escalator was dead years ago and it now operates 50% of the time when they give it life support. If I were to guess, one of the reasons the CM is still closed and the sister Colonial Suites is open is because the cost of fixing that friggin' escalator yet again can't be justified. For years we've walked up and down one or the other escalator locked in place because the other was torn apart and being repaired. I love the CM and walking up a dead escalator doesn't bother me but for those who can't walk up a flight of stairs, the problems with that escalator have steered many away from the CM if they research their accommodations.

 

[tridacna]

I've been staying there now for 15? years. When the CM was new the escalator was totally open to the outdoors and they added the doors and closed in the upper floor by the pool deck with glass later that you see today. Rain and more rain, street flooding and surges from the cars passing by (as well as a hurricane) sent water pouring into the lower mechanics of that escalator. That escalator was dead years ago and it now operates 50% of the time when they give it life support. If I were to guess, one of the reasons the CM is still closed and the sister Colonial Suites is open is because the cost of fixing that friggin' escalator yet again can't be justified. For years we've walked up and down one or the other escalator locked in place because the other was torn apart and being repaired. I love the CM and walking up a dead escalator doesn't bother me but for those who can't walk up a flight of stairs, the problems with that escalator have steered many away from the CM if they research their accommodations.

If you can't climb a flight of stairs, you probably can't climb a boat ladder. (Putting on flame-proof suit).

 

[Snoweman]

If you can't climb a flight of stairs, you probably can't climb a boat ladder. (Putting on flame-proof suit).

Ya know, I have always felt that stairs are easier than an immobile escalator, and that was before I turned 50 - even 40. The varying tread height is a huge PIA. I would love to see them take out the escalators and install elevators in their place.

 

[k4kafka]

Yeah that escalator...last time I was at CM, it became a running gag. It was broken more days than running...we joked that the repair crew must have their own private suite.

 

[Streydog]

No escalator needed at Bahia or Colonial

 

[Charred]

True, but if taken far enough then any presence of a person in any manner could be insufficient. Did you just touch the elevator button that someone else touched? Did you just turn off the faucet in a sink? Did you just open a door? Unless there is a personal attendant following you around and immediately sanitizing everything you touch then there is a risk. At some point, we have to implement reason. Freshly washed hands and freshly sanitized objects are extremely likely to be safe for the 60 seconds or less it takes to put food on your plate.

People have implemented reason as you suggest. That is why the buffets are shut down.