Westfield Health Dept. To Patrons Of Summit Bar: Get Tested Now

SUMMIT, NJ — Health officials in Union County are advising patrons of a local bar and restaurant to get a coronavirus antigen test "immediately" if they spent time in the bar area between Nov. 3 and Thursday. (See list below for where to get tested in the county.)

The city of Summit and the Westfield Regional Health Department jointly issued a statement Friday that they "are advising any persons spending time in the bar area at Roots [Steakhouse] in Summit between Nov. 3 and Nov. 12, 2020 to immediately obtain a COVID-19 antigen test."

For those who ate at the establishment but not at the bar, they said, "If dining in another part of the restaurant or outdoors, patrons are advised to consult a physician. Harvest Restaurant Group has confirmed that multiple employees working as bartenders at Roots in Summit have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The restaurant temporarily closed on Nov. 12 and will voluntarily remain closed for a minimum of two weeks."

Harvest Restaurant Group has temporarily closed four of their area restaurants, including two in Summit, one in Westfield, and one in Morris Plains.

Chip Grabowski, a partner in the group, sent out a statement Thursday: "To all Harvest Group employees and customers. We have recently been notified of positive covid-19 test results of Harvest employees at four of our restaurants. In order to exercise an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily close the four locations (Roots Steakhouse and Huntley Taverne in Summit, Addams Tavern in Westfield, and Tabor Road Tavern in Morris Plains), until further notice."

They noted, "Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked closely with local and state health officials to ensure we are following all appropriate protocols. Temporarily closing our four locations is not a result of government mandate but rather a decision on the part of Harvest Group to err on the side of caution."

They added, "To say that COVID-19 has presented challenges and situations that are difficult to navigate is an understatement. The guidelines and information the public receives on it are dynamic and in a constant state of flux. One thing that has not changed since we decided to reopen our doors is our commitment to the safety and well-being of our guests and our employees. By working closely with our local health officials and by following the guidelines set forth by the CDC and the NJ Restaurant Association, all of our decisions have been rooted in the interest of our employees and the tens of thousands of people we have served over these past few months ... With over 1200 employees in total, our responsibility is to provide them a place of safe gainful employment which we believe is paramount. It has also been our hope throughout these challenging and uncertain times to provide our neighbors with some sense of normalcy. We look forward to the day when that can happen once again."

The Summit announcement came four days after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued new rules stating that indoor dining at restaurants — currently limited to 25 percent capacity — must end at 10 p.m. each night, and that patrons can no longer be seated at bars. Eateries can still serve outdoors after 10 p.m.

The rules are part of the new Executive Order 194.

On Monday, Murphy gave updated statistics and explained the rationale behind the move.

Statistics

On Friday, the city of Summit said that there had been eight new cases of the virus confirmed among residents since the day before, bringing the total since March to 353.

So far, there have been 35 confirmed cases in Summit in November. This is a big difference from August, when the city had fewer than 10 cases in a month.

In New Jersey, 18 Summit residents have died from the virus, the most recent a 102-year-old woman in October.

At the height of the crisis in New Jersey, 460 people died from the virus in 24 hours on April 30. READ MORE: 'I Cannot Get Air': When Local Woman Begged For Coronavirus Test

More than 235,000 Americans and 14,500 people in New Jersey have died from the virus so far.

Here is Union County testing information:

HOW TO GET TESTED

• Union County has added mobile walk-up test sites in addition to the drive-through testing site located at Kean University. Testing is free for Union County residents and is by appointment only with no car required; participants must wear masks and observe social distance. Any Union County resident can make an appointment for a test, whether they have symptoms. To pick a location, date and time, and to make an appointment online, visit ucnj.org/coronavirus-update/walk-up.
• Union County residents who need to make an appointment by phone can call 908-518-4307 for assistance. Non-profit organizations and other community groups can call the Union County Office of Emergency Management at 908-654-9881 to request a visit from the Mobile Test Unit.

• To find out more, you can also contact your doctor, visit covid19.nj.gov/testing, or call 211.

Here are statewide coronavirus resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

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