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ALBANY – As Albany County continues to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, nine restaurants in the city, including a cluster in the hallway on Lark Street, are temporarily closed after staff members were tested positive for the virus, according to owners and social media ads.
The news came the same day Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was ordering the state’s bars, restaurants and gyms to close at 10 p.m. every day starting Friday, saying the increase of COVID-19 cases in the state was largely attributed to such locations and private parties. Previously allowed to seat up to 50 people, those gatherings are now limited to 10, Cuomo said.
The relevant Albanyrestaurants and bars are New World Bistro Bar and Susie’s on Delaware Avenue, The Bishop and the Albany Pumping Station in downtown, Albany Ale & Oyster on New Scotland Avenue, Lost & Found in the Warehouse District and , on Lark Street, Pint Sized, Post and Savoy Taproom.
RELATED: Cuomo imposes coronavirus restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms and parties
Another restaurant in the county, Track 32 Italian Pub in Feura Bush, announced a positive test on social media Wednesday afternoon and said it would close for a short but indefinite period. On Wolf Road in Colony, Toro Cantina had a positive test from a staff member last week mentioned by the Albany County Executive on Tuesday, but Toro carried out a thorough cleaning overnight and opened Wednesday for normal hours, the owner said.
Reopens between Thursday and Monday or later are scheduled for all nine restaurants in Albany, representatives said or posted on social media. All have pledged to redouble their efforts to clean up, test staff and, where appropriate, quarantine employees.
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No comparable peak in restaurant staff was reported in Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties.
Albany County recorded 99 new cases of COVID-19 from Tuesday to Wednesday, the largest overnight increase since the start of the pandemic, county director Dan McCoy said in his Wednesday briefing on coronaviruses.
RELATED: Albany County sees 99 cases of coronavirus overnight, highest total yet
During McCoy’s briefing a day earlier, he said the five-day average for new daily positive tests had risen from 50 to 55, with active COVID-19 cases in the county on Tuesday rising from 30 to 367. The number of people under quarantine duty rose to 1,437 from 1,389, McCoy said. Figures from the counties show there have been 4,016 confirmed cases and 144 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Restaurants and other businesses are not required to announce to the public that an employee has tested positive for exposure to COVID-19, and Albany County does not recommend closure except in three cases or more at an individual site. This has happened five times, all earlier in the pandemic, with Philly Bar & Lounge and Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse in Colonie, DePaula Chevrolet and Albany Med Kids in Albany and Kids Express in Cohoes. Companies have voluntarily closed on a temporary basis.
COVID-19 SCHOOLS UPDATE: 39 new cases reported since last week
“It has been very difficult for everyone in the company,” said Neil Evans, owner of the Albany pumping station. After a waiter who last worked on Oct 29 tested positive, the pub was closed for several days last week, reopening for the weekend for take out and limited indoor service. Normally closed Monday and Tuesday, Evans said he chose not to reopen until Thursday this week due to a lack of employee availability.
“Everyone is fine, but a lot of them are in quarantine,” he said. “We’ll be fine, but I foresee things might just get worse.”
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