9 Seattle bars close temporarily due to COVID-19 | Business

SEATTLE (AP) – At least nine bars in Seattle have been temporarily closed because a worker tested positive for COVID-19 or came into contact with an infected person.

The Seattle Times reports that the Unicorn on Capitol Hill and Jupiter Bar in Belltown each had two vaccinated workers who tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, and the bar management said they closed immediately.

The owners of both bars say they plan to reopen on Friday as the test results were negative for the rest of their staff.

The closings come as King County sees an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant. Health officials last week recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public indoor spaces.

Unicorn bar owner Adam Heimstadt said he doesn’t think local health officials have gone far enough with the mask proposal. When it reopens on Friday, the hometown will ask all guests to show their COVID-19 vaccination card along with ID.

“I wish this was a mandate for all bars,” he said. “We all need to band together to request a vaccination card. It’s the only way. “

Another bar on Capitol Hill, The Doctor’s Office, posted on Facebook that as of August 1, entry will require “Proof of a full vaccination or negative test within 48 hours”.

In Belltown, Jupiter bar owner Joey Nix said he would reopen at 50% capacity and bring back a plastic sign that is used to separate customers from people behind the bar. Two employees tested positive for COVID-19 last week even though both were vaccinated. Both had mild symptoms, management said.

Other temporary closings included Rumba and Inside Passage on Capitol Hill, Shorty’s in Belltown, Bar Harbor in South Lake Union, Holy Mountain Brewing in Interbay, The Masonry in Uptown, and The Masonry in Fremont.

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