Zim’s closed until Aug. 1

The employee last worked Friday, July 17, and the Fords announced Thursday, July 23 that Zim’s would be closing for the weekend “to do some deep cleaning and sanitizing.” The Fords updated the announcement Friday, July 24, to say that Zim’s would be closed until Aug. 1, following Center for Disease Control (CDC) advice for a 14-day quarantine. “All of our employees are being tested, including us,” said Connie. To protect their employees’ privacy, the Fords will not release details regarding the employee who tested positive, “… but Bill and I want to be as transparent to the public as possible,” said Connie. “This is tragic, especially for a restaurant. We are doing our best to get in front of this, but also realize that we need to face the heat.”

Zim’s dining room reopened on Friday, May 15, after Gov. Kate Brown approved Wasco County for Phase 1 reopening.

While state guidance and CDC recommendations for bars and restaurants do not specifically advise restaurants to enter a 14-day self-quarantine when an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the CDC does recommend that anyone who has close contact with someone with COVID-19 stay home for 14 days after exposure. Those who have had COVID-19 should wait at least 10 days after their symptoms first appeared — and be fever-free for at least 24-hours — before being around others.

In the event an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the CDC typically recommends that bar and restaurant operators close off areas used by the sick person and wait 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting. Bar and restaurant operators should also advise those who have had close contact with the sick person to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms, and advise the sick person to stay home until they’ve met CDC criteria to safely be around others.