ITHACA, N.Y. — A second Boatyard Grill employee has tested positive for COVID-19, two days after a fellow employee tested positive for the virus. The Tompkins County Health Department stated the two cases are connected.
The employee is in isolation now, but did work six shifts over the last week, at the following times:
- Friday, Aug. 28: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 29: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 30: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 31: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 2: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“The Boatyard management continues to work closely with their staff and the Health Department to take all necessary precautions. They continue to follow their reopening plan requiring staff to wear masks at all times, distance between tables, and thorough cleaning of their facility,” Kruppa said in a statement. “It is unfortunate to learn of another case associated with The Boatyard. It is important to note that the initial exposure of these cases, like many others, is unknown. A small group of employees, including those who tested positive, commute together and attended small non-work gatherings, leading to prolonged exposure to each other.”
Close contacts are being investigated, defined as “people who were within six feet of an infected person for at least 10 minutes starting within two days before illness onset or, for those without symptoms, two days prior to a positive sample collection.” The contacts are being investigated and will be encouraged to seek a test and placed in mandatory quarantine.
Anyone who dined at the Boatyard Grill during the aforementioned times is encouraged to do the following:
- It is recommended that you get tested at the Cayuga Health Sampling Site located at The Shops at Ithaca Mall parking lot, 40 Catherwood Rd. Register for an appointment online at cayugahealthsystem.org or call the Cayuga Health Call Center at 607-319-5708. Regular hours for the Sampling Site and Call Center are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The Sampling Site will have special hours on Saturday, September 5 from 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. because they are closed on Monday for Labor Day.
- If potentially exposed, Cornell University students should contact Cornell Health at 607-255-5155; do not go to an arrival or surveillance testing site.
- All other students and community members should seek testing at the Cayuga Health Sampling Site.
- Monitor your health for any symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath for 14 days from the last time you dined at The Boatyard Grill. For a full list of symptoms, go to the TCHD website.
- If you seek testing and the result is negative, continue to monitor your health for the full 14 days from the last time you dined at The Boatyard Grill. If you become symptomatic, seek testing again.