How is a marquee safer than being indoors?

[Bluewavescrashing]

Genuine question... If you set up a marquee with walls (not a gazebo) in your garden with patio heaters, is it less likely to cause covid transmission than sitting in your lounge? I'm intrigued as my friend did this at Christmas and they ate their dinner outside in it.

As in, tent walls not real walls!

If it's got walls, the risk is still going to be high. But lower than inside as there's more air circulation. I wouldn't do it at the moment.

It's not, there has been a huge outbreak in my area-still ongoing when large numbers attending a funeral and afterwards went to a marquee. Probably a combination of the marquee and the numbers but still

If it’s bigger than their dining room/kitchen and they spread out more, it could be safer.

Hmmm. I think the virus spreads faster in cold conditions too so probably not a good idea to gather in a cold environment.

Only if it's well ventilated. If the walls are up it's the same as being inside.

It really depends on the marquee. Many of the old kind are very very draughty - far more than just opening the windows in your dining room.

But if it’s more like a sealed modern tent without draughts then it’s like being inside.

I think it’s pubs bending the rules, and it’s not really what the rules had in mind when they were made.

I suspect its a lot more drafty than inside, otherwise why would we bother with double glazing!

True. I feel the cold far too much to contemplate a marquee dinner anyway

You can’t have walls on the marquee or it counts as an inside structure. Or at least that’s what the council told us in the summer - our venue had a marquee incase it rained for our outdoors wedding, the council said only one wall side was allowed; then the registrars said no walls were allowed. If the walls are on; we were told you had to comply with the “indoors” requirements, even if they are the flappy kind rather than the fixed kind.

If there were any elderly or vulnerable people invited I would hope they had heaters in the marquee. Otherwise it would not be safe for them to sit outside in the cold.

I don't think a marquee is a particularly safe option. It's marginally safer than an unventilated room but it's not out in the open air where you get a proper flow of air.

Probably the best guidance to whether temp structures are indoors or outdoors is the legislation on smoking shelters.
To comply with regulations, smoking shelters must have openings that are open to the outside not be fully enclosed or substantially closed. This means that the shelter must not have any fittings that can be opened or closed that enclose more than 50% of the shelter.

@Walkintal

Probably the best guidance to whether temp structures are indoors or outdoors is the legislation on smoking shelters. To comply with regulations, smoking shelters must have openings that are open to the outside not be fully enclosed or substantially closed. This means that the shelter must not have any fittings that can be opened or closed that enclose more than 50% of the shelter.

An exposed space like this during very cold temperatures would not be safe for the elderly vulnerable or young children. It would be important to heat such places using a suitable outdoor heater to ensure safety.

In order to be classed as an outdoor space the guidance for hospitality is that at least half the wall space must be open. In effect this usually means 3 sides should be open as most have a bit of ‘overhang’ on the open sides but it can depend on the shape. An enclosed marquee in someone’s garden is no better than being inside, and could very well be worse if everyone is enclosed in the space for longer, less moving around air flow etc.

2 pubs in my village have new, smart, enclosed marquees in their gardens. Not sure what the point is really, except to try to reassure the customers that it's safe to be in them of course.

Cold, dry conditions do seem to optimise transmission but all our friends with marquees attached to garden rooms, studios or workshops don’t have full walls erected.
When we’ve eaten outside or just gone for drinks, it’s been extremely well ventilated and with sufficient space for two tables, usually. The fire pits fill them with smoke but we still need blankets, thermals and bobble hats. Good fun but hardly glamorous and relatively low risk.

If the marquee has walls all around then you are quite right it isn't really any safer than being indoors. At pubs in tier 2, people can only eat indoors if they are part of the same household or bubble but can be a mixed group of up to 6 outdoors - and for the purposes of outdoors any shelter needs to be open on at least 3 sides to be considered "outdoor" according to the government guidelines. Your friend was not correct to do this.

Although our local has a open marquee which is also against (not attached) to fences on 3 sides and open on the other side, so technically ok for smoking and, I assume, outdoor eating in tier 2.

not safer

its boxing day here and we (6 families) all went the local italian - sat on different tables 2m apart in our own families so all legal/rules etc. because we were sat in our own 'area' we could talk across tables without disturbing others - id rather do this than sit otrside