Zephyr Grill & Bar Closes After Employee Contracts Coronavirus

LIVERMORE, CA — A popular Livermore bar and grill took the unusual step of closing down Thursday and notifying the community that an employee had tested positive for coronavirus.

Owners of the Zephyr Grill & Bar Livermore announced an indefinite closure Friday after discovering that an employee had tested positive for COVID-19. The staffer was a member of the kitchen team who had no contact with the public, according to the company. The employee experienced only mild symptoms and remains in self-quarantine, according to company officials.

"Although this team member did not have direct contact with our guests, we are notifying the community to be as transparent and forthcoming as possible," the company wrote on its Facebook page.

"Zephyr Grill & Bar Livermore will be closed for the foreseeable future," the company added. "As a precaution, we have hired a company to do a complete sanitizing and disinfecting service of the restaurant using 'EPA Hospital-Grade Disinfectant.' They will use a microparticle spray to deep clean all surfaces, cracks, and crevices. In addition, an ultra-mist solution is applied and sent through the HVAC/ air duct system killing 99.99% of spores, bacteria, viruses, and other harmful germs. This service is not required by the health department but it is our responsibility to make sure our staff and guests feel secure in returning when the time comes to reopen."

The bar and grill also prohibited all employees from returning to work until after the receive negative Covid-19 test results.

Zephyr Grill & Bar Livermore doesn't yet have a scheduled reopening.

"Once we have enough team members cleared to return, we will announce our reopening," the company said.

The company concluded its announcement by listing the measures taken to keep employees and guests safe, including:

• Taking all employees’ temperatures when they arrive for their shift, logging the results daily.
• Each employee is signing an attestation that they are not experiencing any symptoms prior to the start of each shift.
• Requiring employees to wear a protective shield or face mask at all times when they are in the restaurant.
• Allowing anyone who is feeling ill to stay home, no exceptions.
• If employees are sick with symptoms of COVID-19 or a fever, they must self-quarantine for 14 days or provide a negative test result before returning to work.
• Constant coaching on handwashing and sanitizing.
• Providing disposable single-use menus at each table.