Virus cases close several local bars, restaurants
COVID-19 continues to play havoc with local restaurants and bars.
Eateries around Macomb County have been forced to shut down temporarily in recent weeks due to an employee or customer having tested positive for coronavirus. That’s on top of the state restrictions on operating hours and capacities that have impacted revenue.
In Harrison Township, an outbreak of infections has hit several restaurants.
Terry’s Terrace on Jefferson Avenue at Crocker Boulevard was closed Thursday and is scheduled to reopen today.
A sign affixed to the front door of Terry’s advised patrons that they were closed. On their Facebook page, operators said they had close for cleaning, quarantine and testing last Saturday night after an employee — who has zero contact with the public — tested positive.
All workers will be tested before allowing to come to work, according to social media post.
“Some have said we are overreacting but we would rather err on the side of caution,” the post stated, adding the owner were trying to compensate workers for the time the eatery is closed.
Kitty corner across the street, the Sentimental Lady Saloon closed earlier this week, but is back in business.
“It’s all due to the COVID restrictions,” a woman who answered the phone said Thursday. “But our staff and customers come first. We’re just taking it day by day.”
Bentley’s Roadhouse on South River Road was also closed Thursday. According to a message on its website, the building has been professionally cleaned by Jarvis Property Restoration. But some workers are not ready to come back yet.
“For the well-being and safety of our employees and patrons, Bentley’s will be closed until further notice,” the website message said.
A similar story was reported over at Luigi’s Original Restaurant on Jefferson Avenue. A message on its social media platform said the establishment would be closed until April 7. It wasn’t clear if a positive COVID-19 case had been reported there.
The Facebook message indicated the closure was “due to an increase in COVID-19 within our community and for the health and safety or our guests and employees.”
In a seeming paradox, COVID-19 cases are again surging in Michigan, despite more and more people receiving vaccination shots.
According to the New York Times, Michigan has more recent cases per capita than any other state. The number of cases in the state has soared from 1,000 on Feb. 21 to more than 6,000 cases a day. In total, Michigan has had 678,295 cases and 16,141 deaths since the virus was first detected in March 2020, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
In Macomb County, there were 925 new cases and 10 deaths reported Thursday.
The county has nearly 68,000 total cases, along with 53,880 recoveries. More than 1,800 have died, according to macombgov.org/ Covid19. At the same time, more than 120,000 doses of vaccines have been administered.