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COVID-19 infections temporarily shut down landmark Tides Tavern
The Tides Tavern has temporarily closed after staff members became infected with the COVID-19 virus. The landmark pub and eatery, which closed on Friday, plans to reopen Wednesday after cleaning and adjusting the schedule, according to CEO Dylan Stanley.
“I really hated to make this call, but we had a few people out in key positions and were just spread too thin,” Stanley said. “I felt we would just be setting ourselves up for failure and didn’t want to let our customers down during this busy boat parade weekend.”
Nearly 90% of the Tides staff is vaccinated. Of the small number who aren’t, 45% have the virus, compared to 8% of vaccinated workers, Stanley said. He is not aware of any breakthrough cases in workers who have received booster shots.
Stanley doesn’t believe the virus is being transmitted inside the tavern.
“While it is certainly possible that an employee caught the virus from contact at the Tides, transmission between two people wearing masks is extremely low,” he said. “Further, the procedures and safety measures we take at the Tides have proven effective throughout the pandemic and have not changed. We have kept detailed logs of all testing since the start, and the overwhelming evidence always points to employees contracting the virus outside of the Tides.”
Stanley believes the infections originated from people letting their guard down during Thanksgiving gatherings and urged staff to take measures to prevent a recurrence after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.