Several restaurants in Over-The-Rhine are temporarily closed as employees are tested for COVID-19.This comes as they try to balance healthy and safety with operations.Pontiac Bourbon and BBQ is one of five restaurants or bars closed by the Queen City Hospitality Group Tuesday after an employee told the owner he “likely” tested positive.Other restaurants in Over-The-Rhine have also found themselves navigating positive COVID-19 cases.”One of my coworkers at my job recently got tested positive for COVID-19, so we all as a staff have to come and get tested before we’re allowed to come back to work,” Camryn Woody said.Woody came to a pop-up testing tent looking for answers.She said she works at the temporarily closed Revolution Rotisserie and Bar in Over-The-Rhine.”They notified us, they told all of us, and then they also posted on our Facebook page that we had to be closed down again due to the case that came in,” she said.Nearby, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman also got tested to lead by example.”The coronavirus has not disappeared from our lives,” Cranley said.The owner of Queen City Hospitality Group closed all its OTR locations Tuesday to test all staff after a back-of-house employee at Pontiac informed the group on Monday that he likely tested positive.The asymptomatic employee was tested, the owner said, because of potential exposure.The closed locations include Pontiac, Senate OTR, Holiday Spirits, Abigail Street and Forty Thieves.Health Commissioner Melba Moore praised quick action to help contact tracing and to alert people to self-monitor.”The chef who’s making those changes and being proactive? That’s how it works,” she said.The Thunderdome Restaurant Group also said an employee at The Eagle and an employee at Bakersfield tested positive in the past few days.However, it said they never worked a shift while showing symptoms.Those locations are open.Both groups emphasize safety protocols are in place.”There are tens of thousands of people whose jobs depend on these restaurants. I’ve been out to many of them and I’ve had a great experience,” Cranley said.The owner of Pontiac and the other locations said they do temperature scans, wear masks and have hand sanitizers in addition to other precautions.He suggested restaurants may want to start testing monthly or bi-monthly moving forward.
CINCINNATI —
Several restaurants in Over-The-Rhine are temporarily closed as employees are tested for COVID-19.
This comes as they try to balance healthy and safety with operations.
Pontiac Bourbon and BBQ is one of five restaurants or bars closed by the Queen City Hospitality Group Tuesday after an employee told the owner he “likely” tested positive.
Other restaurants in Over-The-Rhine have also found themselves navigating positive COVID-19 cases.
“One of my coworkers at my job recently got tested positive for COVID-19, so we all as a staff have to come and get tested before we’re allowed to come back to work,” Camryn Woody said.
Woody came to a pop-up testing tent looking for answers.
She said she works at the temporarily closed Revolution Rotisserie and Bar in Over-The-Rhine.
“They notified us, they told all of us, and then they also posted on our Facebook page that we had to be closed down again due to the case that came in,” she said.
Nearby, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman also got tested to lead by example.
“The coronavirus has not disappeared from our lives,” Cranley said.
The owner of Queen City Hospitality Group closed all its OTR locations Tuesday to test all staff after a back-of-house employee at Pontiac informed the group on Monday that he likely tested positive.
The asymptomatic employee was tested, the owner said, because of potential exposure.
The closed locations include Pontiac, Senate OTR, Holiday Spirits, Abigail Street and Forty Thieves.
Health Commissioner Melba Moore praised quick action to help contact tracing and to alert people to self-monitor.
“The chef who’s making those changes and being proactive? That’s how it works,” she said.
The Thunderdome Restaurant Group also said an employee at The Eagle and an employee at Bakersfield tested positive in the past few days.
However, it said they never worked a shift while showing symptoms.
Those locations are open.
Both groups emphasize safety protocols are in place.
“There are tens of thousands of people whose jobs depend on these restaurants. I’ve been out to many of them and I’ve had a great experience,” Cranley said.
The owner of Pontiac and the other locations said they do temperature scans, wear masks and have hand sanitizers in addition to other precautions.
He suggested restaurants may want to start testing monthly or bi-monthly moving forward.
