A downtown Auburn restaurant has reopened after an employee there tested positive for COVID-19 last week, but its hours are limited because many other employees are now under quarantine.
Mesa Grande Taqueria on Genesee Street announced the positive test Saturday morning on its Facebook page. The restaurant learned of it the night prior, manager Christopher Adessa told The Citizen. The employee last worked at the restaurant from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, but didn’t handle any food or come into contact with any customers.
The employee got tested for COVID-19 because they’re a student, said Adessa, who declined to provide any further information so as not to reveal the employee’s identity. The employee, who works at Mesa Grande as a dishwasher, was asymptomatic. Additionally, while they tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, they tested negative on Wednesday, Adessa said.
Still, in the interest of safety, the manager decided to close the restaurant for the weekend while he communicated with the Cayuga County Health Department. Seven employees who came into contact with the one who tested positive entered quarantine, Adessa said, and feel fine. But without them, he has to limit the restaurant’s hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, when it reopened, through Friday. The restaurant will be closed again next weekend. Adessa hopes it will return to normal hours Monday, Oct. 5, as his employees will finish their quarantine on Sunday.
