Covid 19 Case Response
June 26, 2020
Dear Aqui Community,
Thank you, community, for your concerns about the health of our employees. It is appreciated and we hear you. In response to incorrect social media commentary regarding COVID and our best practices we offer the following:
Aqui currently has three hundred and fifty employees. Since January 1st we have experienced two positive CoVid-19 notifications from employees. Both of those notifications occurred in the last thirty days, post the relaxation of the shelter in place directive.
For the protection and privacy of our employees and due to HIPPA privacy guidelines we cannot give any details or release any information to the public about employee’s personal health. At present, one has been cleared and awaiting a return to work and the other is resting comfortably at home in recovery. All employees were notified immediately of the situation and were recommended to get tested.
Since the beginning of this pandemic we have implemented a rigorous cleaning and disinfecting program. We require all employees to wear face masks and nitrile gloves while working, we sanitize workstations after use, and we require hand washing every 15 minutes. Employees showing any of the listed symptoms for CoVid-19 will not be allowed to work.
We have all seen the resurgence of Covid-19 cases due to re-opening of businesses. Unfortunately, we will probably see more cases within our community and environment. We will continue to follow SCCHD and CDC protocols.
Aqui has been serving the South Bay community for over 26 years. Since January, keeping our restaurants open to pay our team has been a monumental challenge. So much has changed in a short period of time – the world around us, our neighborhoods, gathering spaces, the places we work and call home. Life in the midst of COVID-19 has sparked fear, frustration and anxiety all around. It is easy for distractions, criticism and stress to creep in. Social media can propagate emotionally driven information that can snowball into an uncontrollable false narrative. We are trying to look at all aspect of this pandemic; to learn and rethink our approaches. But now, more than ever, we must focus all of our energy on defeating this pandemic and the challenges associated with it. Nothing is more important than ensuring the health and safety of our employees and the community.
It is our sincerest hope that you continue to trust and support Aqui. Thank you for your understanding.
Links to the SCCHD guidelines page will be linked below and you will also be able to find more information on our CoVid-19 under our newswire menu.
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Documents/Guidance-for-Business-COVID-19-Positive.pdf
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/deh/Documents/Guidance%20for%20Workers.pdf
