SAUGUS – Border Cafe reopened Friday after temporarily closing last week following the detection of multiple cases of COVID-19 among staff.
Health Director John Fralick said the restaurant — which had already closed and reopened after a single employee tested positive earlier this month — was shut down again by the Saugus Health Department on Oct. 12 when two additional employees were found to have contracted the virus.
While the building underwent extensive sanitization, all staff were required to immediately quarantine before getting tested at the Town’s free test site at the Square One Mall.
“The entire restaurant was sterilized by a third-party cleaner on the 13th, and as an act of precaution, we wanted to wait at least an additional 10 days before allowing them to re-establish operations,” Fralick said Friday, adding that the required tests yielded four additional positives among asymptomatic staff, which he and his own staff were notified of throughout the course of last week.
Following the 10-day waiting period, Border Cafe was given the go-ahead by the Health Department to reopen Friday at 3 p.m. All returning employees will be required to test negative for COVID-19 prior to returning to work.
Fralick noted that none of the positive employees were listed as residents of Saugus, and added that the state’s Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) has been working to trace all contacts.
“So far, we have not had word of any Saugus residents affected by this situation,” he said.
In a later statement, Fralick urged residents to continue adhering to state and town-mandated safety measures in order to prevent the virus’ further spread.
“We’re now faced with a situation where more and more municipalities are receiving high-risk designations as we enter into an anticipated second surge period akin to what we experienced in April,” he said. “The town of Saugus appreciates the vigilance and courtesy we’ve seen from our residents, but the fight is not over. We must remain cognizant to the fact that COVID-19 remains a very real threat, and we must respect it.
“We thank both the residents and businesses of Saugus for their continued adherence to the ongoing COVID-19 protocols.”
