Restaurants were allowed to resume indoor and patio services in May, but as coronavirus cases continue to climb in Lucas and Wood counties and across the state, a growing number of Toledo-area eateries are having to ping-pong between keeping their doors open and closing again for cleaning as employees fall sick.
There’s no way to know exactly how many businesses are or have been impacted after at least one employee tested positive for coronavirus, because the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department doesn’t track such cases, nor does it require businesses to disclose to the public such cases. But many of the establishments have taken to doing so anyway.
On Monday, Te’kela Mexican Cocina Y Cantina in Sylvania and Orchard Inn in Toledo said on their respective Facebook pages that they were closing for deep cleaning after at least one employee there tested positive for coronavirus. The Te’Kela employee had last worked on June 29th, and the Orchard employee on June 28th.
Neither have said when they will reopen.
Pat & Dandy’s Sports Bar has been closed since July 2 for the same reason. Their employee had last worked on June 25, but as a precaution the bar said it would remain closed until July 16, a two-week quarantine period. Then, on Thursday, the bar announced it is postponing opening, without providing a reason or new date.
The Toledo location of the J Alexander’s restaurant chain has been closed since June 29, when it learned two of its employees were positive for the virus.
Nearly all of the businesses shared the same scripted message: “We are taking this step out of an abundance of caution for our guests and employees.”
But there really isn’t a script for what they should do, according to spokesmen for Lucas and Wood county health departments.
“They don’t have to shut down,” Toledo-Lucas County spokesman Shannon Lands said. “All these businesses that have shut down have done so voluntarily. We have not forced them to shut down.”
The string of restaurant closings comes as Ohio on Friday hit a new milestone in its uphill battle against cononavirus. recording its highest number of new infections in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
The state reported 1,525 new cases as the 21-day average of daily infections climbed to 911. That average was well below 500 about two weeks ago. The state has now recorded a total of 62,856 cases.
Deaths and hospitalizations are also pushing up their 21-day averages. The state reported 24 new deaths compared to the average of 17. There were 111 new hospitalizations, compared to the average of 73.
Intensive-care unit stays, an indicator of more serious cases, came in at a slightly below-average 14.
The numbers reflect the largest daily increase since the prior peak of 1,380 on April 19, according to the Department of Health. That number came at a time of widespread testing of inmates and staff at some state prisons where there were outbreaks.
Ohio now joins other states such as Arizona, Florida, and Texas in reporting highs that have eclipsed what had previously been considered peaks earlier in the crisis. Part of that has been attributed to states’ reopening of their economies and lifting of stay-at-home orders when the numbers were more promising.
Lucas County reported 32 new cases Friday, for a total of 2,812 cases since the outbreak began. It has seen 288 deaths. Wood County — one of the Ohio counties where state officials recently made face masks mandatory because of a surge in cases — recorded three new cases Friday for a total of 474, though the governor on Thursday pointed to an overall recent spike in cases following very few infections as one of the reasons for the mask mandate there. There have been 51 total deaths there.
Alex Aspacher, spokesman for Wood County’s health department, said Wood County health officials actually “do not recommend business close automatically” following a positive test. Instead, they encourage businesses to pause long enough to clean the area, if necessary, and to quarantine close contacts where they apply.
The Toledo-Lucas County’s “Open for Business Guidance” recommends that if an employee tests positive for the virus, businesses should:
- Identify co-workers and individuals that the employee may have come into contact with and have the employee follow self-quarantine and isolation guidance.
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect equipment and other elements of the work environment as well as frequently touched surfaces.
- If possible, shut down the shop/areas where the employee worked for deep sanitation.
Most businesses publicly acknowledging exposure have chosen to do the latter, but there’s no set timeline for how long that process should last. Some businesses are cleaning for up to two weeks. Others, two days.
Rudy’s Hot Dog on Monroe Street, for example, closed Tuesday and Wednesday this week after the owner Phillip Dionyssiou said his son, who is also an employee, was notified that his coronavirus test came back positive.
The son had last worked on June 27, when he started to show symptoms of the virus, but Mr. Dionyssiou said it took 8 days to receive confirmation. Quest Diagnostics, which is handling most of the county’s testing, has warned that an increase in demand for testing is delaying results for all non-priority patients to 4-6 days.
No other employees have reported feeling ill, Mr. Dionyssiou said, so they reopened the location for drive-thru only and he anticipates they may make the move permanent to reduce future risk to employees and customers as the virus continues to spread.
“Possibly, if things keep on ramping up the way they are, we just may switch all of our restaurants just to drive-thru again,” Mr. Dionyssiou said.
Other businesses are trying to keep employees and customers healthy by keeping their doors open but mandating masks for all.
The Ottawa Tavern on Friday announced that all bars along Adams Street are now requiring anyone coming into their business or “traveling throughout the premises” to wear face masks. Those who don’t wear them will have the option of buying one for $1, their post said.
The move is an effort to comply with Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz’s declaration asking all residents to wear a mask while in public, unless exempted. Patrons can also remove their masks once seated at an establishment and ready to eat and drink.
“Mask on your face til your butt is in place,” Ottawa Tavern said in a Facebook post, adding in a separate post, “We sincerely hope that this policy will help us all do our part to keep each other safe and healthy, while being able to enjoy a drink, great food, and each other’s company (from a distance).”
Some businesses that temporarily closed but have reopened without additional reported infections include Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt’s Secor Road location and Sidelines Sports Eatery and Pub in Lambertville.
Ye Olde Durty Bird initially shut down Tuesday, citing the recent spike in virus cases. In a Thursday Facebook post, the restaurant revealed it had actually closed after being alerted to an employee’s pending coronavirus test, which then came back positive late Wednesday.
For businesses that remain open, the best they can do is continue cleaning thoroughly on a daily basis and to follow recommended guidelines if employees do get sick, Toledo-Lucas County Health Commission Eric Zgodzinski said.
And the best the public can do is assume that everyone around them has coronavirus, as does every place they visit, and guard themselves appropriately to mitigate their risk.
“The disease is such that if, I was within six feet of somebody talking to you for 15 minutes...that’s an exposure. But if I’m walking through Kroger’s and I stop to talk to the cashier for five minutes and I was within six feet, that’s not an exposure,” Mr. Zgodzinski said. “It’s all about the level of exposure.”
He also encouraged community members to report if businesses are not following safe distancing practices in their stores or having staff wear face masks, which is mandatory in the state unless a person meets special exemptions.
“We’re not shut down, we’re not locked down, so every time that you walk out of your house you’ve increased your risk of getting COVID,” Mr. Zgodzinski said.
Staff writer Jim Provance contributed.
First Published July 10, 2020, 12:00 p.m.
