Second Street closes Rufina Taproom after two virus cases

Both were asymptomatic; location likely to reopen soon, possibly by weekend

Second Street Brewery had been working to ward off the novel coronavirus.

All 50 employees at the brewery’s Second Street and Rufina Taproom locations were being tested for the virus every two weeks. And, like most eateries, the business had converted to single-use menus and made rigorous cleaning a central part of its operations.

On Saturday, however, it received news that two of its Rufina Taproom employees had tested positive. Both were asymptomatic, said Rod Tweet, president and brewmaster.

The taproom was closed midday Saturday as soon as the seated diners finished their meals. Tweet plans to reopen after all employees are tested again — and receive negative results — and the New Mexico Environment Department inspects the business.

“We may be open by this weekend,” Tweet said.

“We’re trying to be as careful as we can in regards to our employees and the public,” he added. “We’re a pretty large employer among the Santa Fe restaurant industry. The more employees you have, the probability exists” to have an infected worker.

The Environment Department confirmed the Rufina Taproom will not be closed long. “They have been working to identify and isolate close contacts of the positive employees as well as disinfect the establishment,” said Maddy Hayden, an Environment Department spokeswoman. “They should be ready to be reopen soon.”

The Rufina Taproom previously closed for a few days in early July because one of its employees had a second job at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, where 10 workers had contracted the novel coronavirus. The Rufina worker was not infected.

“We are choosing to take this seriously,” Tweet said.

David Morgan, a spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Health, said Second Street Brewery “has been very proactive in ensuring employee and customer safety, including having employees tested proactively.

“After an initial case was found, retesting revealed another positive case, which triggered another round of testing,” he said. “DOH is scheduled to do one more round of follow-ups next week.”

Second Street Brewery is the ninth Santa Fe-area restaurant to report at least one coronavirus case to the state Environment Department, which conducts response efforts. Nearly all restaurants with a positive test result have shut down briefly for employee testing and cleaning.

Overall, New Mexico has had at least 155 restaurants report coronavirus cases among employees, Environment Department data shows.

Numerous other businesses have reported cases as well. In Santa Fe, there was a total of 60 businesses with infections as of Sunday.

Second Street Brewery, one of the oldest microbreweries in Santa Fe, dates to 1996. Tweet installed the brewing system at the business’s original Second Street location and took over the company in 2000. A third location that opened in 2010, Second Street Brewery at the Railyard, has been closed since mid-March due to the pandemic.

The Rufina Taproom, opened in 2017, is the only location operating a kitchen, Tweet said. The Second Street site remains open with patio service.

“Our philosophy is about playing the long game,” Tweet said. “We have to act responsibly.”