In the wake of Tuesday's announcement that an employee at a Waffle House in Canton tested positive for coronavirus, the Atlanta-based restaurant chain has shared further details about steps it is taking to prevent the spread of coronavirus at its more than 1,900 units across 25 states.
“Our enhanced protocols include frequent sanitizing of common touch points such as tables, chairs, booth backs, door handles, faucets, jukeboxes, credit card terminals and other service items. We are also removing condiments from all table tops and making those available to customers upon request,” said Waffle House spokesperson Njeri Boss.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus in Georgia
Waffle House temporarily closed the unit at 1849 Marietta Highway in Canton, where the infected employee worked. That restaurant has been thoroughly sanitized using methods specifically designed to clean and disinfect, according to the company.
The affected employee has not been at work since March 1 and has been released from the hospital under quarantine.
Waffle House said it is working closely with public health officials, and all employees who worked with the affected individual have been asked to self quarantine. Those who were scheduled to work and were unable to due to the quarantine are being paid.
Waffle House has taken such action less than two weeks after Boss told the AJC that the company was in a “monitoring situation” due to the threat of a coronavirus outbreak.
The restaurant chain, whose units operate 24/7, has become known for its preparedness planning; even the Federal Emergency Management Agency relies on the company’s disaster management index to determine the effect of a storm and the assistance required for recovery.
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