Jersey Shore hotel halts food service after employee tests positive for coronavirus

A Cape May County hotel temporarily halted its food and beverage service after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus, the business said Tuesday.

The Windrift Hotel Resort announced it would “complete a deep cleaning of all food and beverage service areas and engage in contact tracing to identify whether additional employees may be affected.”

In a statement, the Avalon hotel said the infected worker was “involved in restaurant operations.”

“We anticipate resuming operations within the coming days, but will only do so once we have completed our investigation and determined that we can safely do so,” the hotel’s statement said.

The hotel said it was taking the voluntary move and apologized for the inconvenience to guests.

“The Windrift remains committed to protecting the health and safety of our guests. Since we reopened in May, we have implemented rigorous protocols that include temperature checks at the start of each employee shift, the use of safe and sanitary employee practices in accordance with state and federal directives, and strict rules to prevent employees with known exposures from reporting to work,” the statement added.

There is no evidence that the contagious virus can spread directly through food, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness can spread through contaminated surfaces and health officials have urged people to frequently wash their hands among other precautions.

Local officials could not be immediately reached late Tuesday. New Jersey officials reported 24 new coronavirus deaths and 565 additional cases Tuesday while the state’s rate of transmission for the virus also increased. In Cape May County, there were 800 reported cases of the respiratory illness.

Gov. Phil Murphy earlier this month paused the state’s gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions, including keeping in place a ban on indoor dining.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.