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From going to a bar to opening post: US doctors release list of riskiest activities post-lockdown

FILE - In this June 22, 2020, file photo, a bartender pours a beer for a customer at Shade Bar NYC in New York. Authorities are closing honky tonks, bars and other drinking establishments in some parts of the U.S. to stem the surge of COVID-19 infections — a move backed by sound science about risk factors that go beyond wearing or not wearing masks. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
A bartender pours a beer for a customer at Shade Bar NYC in New York. (AP)

Research from doctors in the US has found that the riskiest activity to do now that lockdown has eased is going to a bar.

On a scale of one to 10, heading out to a bar holds a nine in terms of the risk of catching COVID-19, according to experts from the Texas Medical Association (TMA).

Sitting alongside going to a bar are: going to church with more than 500 people, attending a sporting event at a stadium and going to a concert.

Going to a bar is the riskiest post-lockdown activity.
Going to a bar is the riskiest post-lockdown activity.
Close up of black man hands putting a letter inside an envelope on a desk at home
Opening mail is the lowest-risk activity, according to the report. (Getty)

The 53,000 physicians and medical students from the TMA believe these activities are the most risky with regards to the transmission of coronavirus.

Other high risk activities include going to the cinema or eating at a buffet, as is going to the gym.

The list was released in the US – which has reported more than 132,000 coronavirus deaths and over three millions cases – just days after pubs reopened in England.

Sitting on the other end of the TMA’s scale, with a rank of just one, in terms of risk is opening the post.

Other activities regarded as low risk include getting petrol, having a takeaway delivered and going camping.

The list was compiled based on how easy it was to maintain social distance, according to the TMA.

They said: “The levels are based on input from the physician members of the task force and the committee, who worked from the assumption that – no matter the activity – participants were taking as many safety precautions as they can.”

The UK government relaxed lockdown restrictions in England over the weekend, meaning pubs, bars and restaurants were able to reopen.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves number 11 Downing Street, to deliver a financial announcement to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak on Wednesday is set to announce a 2-billion-pound ($2.5 billion) program to create jobs for young people as the government tries to revive an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a scheme to encourage people in England to go out to restaurants. (PA)

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that the government’s ‘eat out to help out’ scheme will mean meals eaten at any participating restaurants from Monday to Wednesday during August will be 50% cheaper, up to a maximum discount of £10 per head for everyone.

Businesses can then claim the money back, with funds in their bank account within five working days.

The move is an attempt to encourage people to head back out to restaurants to boost the economy following months of lockdown.

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