Updated July 1
Erring on the side of caution, Nancy’s Restaurant closed Monday for a deep cleaning after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Speaking to The Times by phone Tuesday, Nancy’s owner Doug Abdelnour said the employee, who was only recently hired, voluntarily took a test which came back positive Monday morning. The employee has been and continues to be asymptomatic and is self-quarantining. Abdelnour added that the employee was told there is a chance the test was a false positive.
“We were not instructed to shut down. We shut down for 24 hours because we’ve read that in the guidelines,” Abdelnour said. “We have followed and have been following all of the [Centers for Disease Control] guidelines to a tee.”
Immediately after hearing about the result, Abdelnour said Oak Bluffs health agent Meegan Lancaster was contacted and the restaurant was closed down to be cleaned according to CDC cleaning guidelines.
It was also recommended that close contacts within six feet of the employee, with no masks, and for greater than 10 minutes should be tested, but Abdelnour said that criteria did not fit anyone at Nancy’s. The employee’s roommates have all been tested and they all received negative results.
After an intense cleaning, Abdelnour said the restaurant is back open and will continue to be diligent about cleaning and practicing proper protocols. He said the public can help out too.
“We’ve asked for help from the public as well because, I mean, it’s been no secret since reopening the Island has been relatively busy — especially Oak Bluffs Harbor — and we really need the public to help us continue to serve them,” Abdelnour said. “If they want that to happen wear your mask, respect social distancing, and we’re all just in this together.”
Meanwhile, Edgartown health agent Matt Poole confirmed that a Morning Glory Farm employee tested positive for COVID-19.
“That individual did not work or reside on the [Morning Glory] property in Edgartown nor did this individual live in employee housing,” Poole wrote in an email. Morning Glory Farm uses several fields across the Island for growing produce.
Contact tracing was undertaken immediately, according to Poole. Owners at Morning Glory Farm could not immediately be reached for comment.
Poole added there were other co-workers that were required to quarantine as a result of the outdoor-work exposure, but none were employed in the food service, crop production, or farm stand.
All equipment used as part of the employee’s work was sanitized along with other common touch surfaces. Poole said cleaning of the farm stand was not necessary.
All other exposed co-workers have been tested and produced negative results. Wednesday marks the last day of quarantine for the employees and all have remained symptom free. Over 20 other employees elected to be tested and all received negative tests.
Updated to add information about Morning Glory Farm case. — Ed.
Plant corn get corn.
With tons of people down there in OB with no social distancing nor any masks being worn this is just the beginning.
Good luck OB.
My heart goes out to Mr. Abdelnour, along with respect for Nancy’s and all MV business owners who are practicing CDC guidelines. I agree that it’s up to the public to help these businesses continue to serve them. What a mess, but it could become worse without compliance to masks and social distancing.
The problem is not Nancy’s
It’s Nancy’s customers.
Nancy’s customers do not practise CDC guidelines.
That is not Nancy’s fault.
Should Nancy’s refuse to sell an $8 drink to a customer just because they do not have a mask?
Not only should they refuse to sell, they should refuse admittance.
$8 drink at Nancy’s? When’s the last time you bought a drink there?
I hate to say it but bars and restaurants, especially in OB since congested, are going to have a rough ride. They are closing all over the country. Outbreak after outbreak. Very sad as who doesn’t love Nancy’s?
I just do not understand this.
From the pictures in the Times Nancy’s staff was enforcing CDC guidelines on all their customers.
If only all places on the Island would follow Nancy’s staff leadership by example.
love doug. class act is the entire operation. he has this well in control and will do anything to keep his employees and diners safe. guaranteed. thanks doug
So what about all of the roommates who work there and their contact with the public and over co-workers ?
Both her and all her roommates who also work there had no contact with anyone with out a mask, and never came with in 6 feet of anyone ???
Really ???
Not saying don’t go out to eat but….
As out of state visitors from the surging states arrive on the Vineyard, I’ll stay away. Very sorry for the businesses, more victims of no nationwide plan for controlling the virus.
What about visitors from MA?
MA has had over 1,000 new cases in the last week.
Do you find it easier to stigmatize ‘others’?
I specifically said SURGING states. MA numbers are not surging. Find someone else to annoy.
Bars and restaurants, particularly indoors, are just not safe places right now no matter what precautions are being taken. How many servers have to pull their masks down occasionally on break? How many cooks in the kitchen have the masks pulled down below their noses. And then the patrons have to remove their masks to eat and drink, or to shout above the din which spreads droplets hither and yon. Just casually walking by several island restaurants I have observed these problems in outside eating and delivery areas. These outbreaks are inevitable.
What happened to the 2 week incubation period? If this person has recently arrived to the island and has recently moved in with roommates, have they been living together for 2 weeks? Is a test of the roommates prior to 2 weeks dependable?
That is the absolute perfect breeding grounds for spreading CV-19 especially with Zero enforcement. Up to a $300.00 fine per violation Hahahahahah what a joke!
So, you don’t support Trump and his denials and lack of leadership in running a nationwide action response to the pandemic. Trump says this will go away, which of course is stupid and deadly, and I am glad you agree with how stupid and deadly dangerous the idiot President is.
Ps. I am talking about the entire Boardwalk area there in OB! I know Doug is always as squared away as possible!
Not groovy.
Was contact tracing also done around the Nancy’s employee? That seems critical even in false positive cases. Trying to find ways to live responsibly with this virus is the only way to address economic and health crises. And as a country, we are failing. But we can do more as a state and as as localities. What are MV towns doing to assist businesses, businesses to assist customers — we need to have positive incentives as well as penalties. The carrot and the stick. No one can be surprised when cases arise given present scenes of crowds not socially distanced and not wearing masks. So, heading into July 4 weekend, what’s the plan? Don’t blame tourists afterwards if there is no plan. Yes, it’s the individual’s responsibility, and it is crystal clear that we can’t rely on self-enforcement.
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