BBQ King staff test negative

Dozens of workers at an Auckland barbecue restaurant visited multiple times by two people confirmed to have Covid-19 have all returned negative results.

A total of 33 staff members at The BBQ King on Oteha Valley Rd, in Albany, have tested negative to the virus.

Owner Amy Li told the Herald they were taking as many precautions as they can to ensure the safety of their staff and that of the public.

“All my staff have come back negative, yes. But we will be closed for 14 days after the [confirmed cases] visited us. The last time they were here was on January 18, so we will be closed up to February 1st,” she said.

The restaurant, also known as Dokkaebi, had been deep cleaned and staff told to isolate still.

Li said they continued to work with health officials and police to determine exactly when and how many times the two people — identified earlier this week as a man and his young daughter — visited their establishment.

She said there was still some confusion about this as some of the times they had scanned into the restaurant, using the Covid Tracer QR code, did

All my staff have come back negative, yes. But we will be closed for 14 days after the [confirmed cases] visited us.

Amy Li , BBQ King owner

not match Eftpos information on bank statements.

Officially, the Ministry of Health has The BBQ King listed as a location of interest six times on its website.

However, Li said there was at least one visit that had not yet been listed but which they had confirmed after reviewing CCTV footage.

That was on Sunday, January 17, when the man and his daughter, as well as a woman understood to be his wife, visited at 1.14pm. They are seen leaving at 1.56pm, she said.

”[The CCTV shows] the mother comes in to pay the money and the father, carrying his daughter, stay outside. “Then they eat their meal in the outside dining area.”

The family had also visited on the same day the man and his daughter left managed isolation at the Pullman Auckland hotel — Friday, January 15.

Li said they had more than 300 dishes on their menu, so it was not unusual for people to come frequently to try all the different meals.

The locations of interest released to the public shows there were two visits to the restaurant that day, but at different times, which Li confirmed.

The MoH site shows a visit happened at 11am to 2pm that same day, January 17, and again at 5pm to 9pm.

The official advice for anyone who visited the restaurant during those times — or any other location of interest on the list — is to stay home, get tested as soon as possible and to call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

The family involved are now at the Jet Park quarantine facility in South Auckland.

Health officials confirmed the two cases of Covid in the community after earlier announcing a community case on Sunday afternoon — a 56-year-old woman who has since recovered.

All three people involved stayed in managed isolation at the Pullman Auckland hotel and had all tested negative for Covid during that period.