A Handful Of Superior Bars Close Temporarily For COVID-19 Cleaning
As a resurgence in COVID-19 cases around the United States persists and government leaders consider re-enacting certain restrictions, four Superior area bars have reported via social media that they are closed for a time while they do some coronavirus cleaning before they can reopen.
The Superior Telegram (paywall) reports the four bars all announced closures in the last couple days after rumors that someone that had tested positive was in the establishments.
Tavern 105 in South End announced their closure on Monday in a series of Facebook messages on their page, sharing on Monday that they would be voluntarily closing for 7 days because "It has been confirmed that at least one individual who has been inside of Tavern 105 within the past week has been in direct contact with a newly confirmed COVID-19 patient", a statement they went on to correct on Tuesday.
In a message on Tuesday afternoon, Tavern 105 went on to offer more information on the voluntary closure, apologizing for what they called "misinformation" in Monday's message, saying the following:
Late on Monday evening (6/29/20) misinformation was posted about our business claiming that an individual who had tested positive for COVID-19 was at our establishment. We can confirm that the individual who has tested positive has NOT been in Tavern 105 in any capacity, and it is unfortunate that a post went out on Facebook without knowing the facts.
As stated in our announcement last night, we were notified that at least one individual who had been in Tavern 105 within the past week (7 days) has been in direct contact with that same individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. As of this afternoon, Tuesday, June 30th, we were notified that the person who was in direct contact has tested NEGATIVE for COVID-19. This means to the best of our knowledge we have not had any person who has had a positive COVID-19 test inside our establishment.
The bar's message concluded by explaining the closing and cleaning is proactive, and that the bar and staff have been following strict guidelines since the start of the pandemic. They also advise customers that don't feel well or have any symptoms not to visit their establishment Finally, they shared that they will reopen on Tuesday, July 7 at 11 am, after a professional cleaning company comes in to do a "deep-clean of our entire establishment."
Three more bars shared closure announcements on Tuesday, with The Tipsy Beaver Bar, Log Cabin Tavern, and Charlie Brown's Bar all sharing closures via social media.
The Tipsy Beaver Bar's post on Facebook addressed rumors about an individual that had been in the bar in the past two weeks that has tested positive for COVID-19. Their post explained, "We have done the only thing we can and temporarily closed our doors to properly clean and disinfect our Tipsy Beaver." They said in the post that they aren't sure how long they will be closed, but that "we must look out for the health and safety of your favorite bartenders and you, our amazing customers.", saying they will share future updates as they are available.
Charlie Brown's Bar, seemingly acknowledging the other closures, shared a pair of messages on their Facebook page on Tuesday. The first post said "Charlie Brown's Bar will also be closing for 1 week or until we get the go-ahead from the Douglas County Health Department". The second post, shared just moments after the first post, explained that they "decided voluntarily to close up for one week until we know exactly what is going on for your safety and ours.
The Superior Telegram also reported (paywall) that the Log Cabin Tavern also announced via their social media that they would be closed until July 7, though there appears to be no sign of a closure post at the time of our story being published. The Telegram says the exposure was over the weekend, and that the post from the bar said "If you were in our bar on Saturday night, please consider getting yourself tested.”
This news as across the bridge in Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz shared this week that there may be a need to close bars in the state once again. A series of COVID-19 cases related to bars have led Walz to look into options to deal with the situation. Most of these incidents are in the Twin Cities and Mankato area. To date, there have been no reported incidents of bars related to COVID-19 exposures in Duluth.