#Increased restaurant spending linked to rise in coronavirus, study says

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A hostess waits behind a sign that ask customers to wear masks at a restaurant in Houston on Friday.
David J. Phillip/AP

Your favorite restaurant food may be coming with a side of the coronavirus.

A correlation between higher restaurant spending and new COVID-19 infections appears to exist, according to a new study from JP Morgan.

The study findings were first published in CNBC.

The study, which looked at data from 30 million credit cards, found that the more card spending at restaurants went up in a given state, the more cases arose roughly three weeks later.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study also found that states where consumers spent more money in supermarkets saw a slower spread of the virus.

The National Restaurant Association took issue with the study in a statement to CNBC, saying that it was “irresponsible” to place the blame just on them.

“It is irresponsible to pin the rise on a single industry,” they said. “Restaurants have historically operated with highly regulated safety protocols based on the FDA’s Food Code and now have taken new steps to meet social distancing guidelines required by state and federal officials. We all have responsibility for wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing.”