Woodland Bar Shuts Down After Maskless, Unvaccinated Customers Infect Staff With COVID-19
WOODLAND (CBS13) — Two customers walked into a Yolo County bar unvaccinated and COVID-positive. Days later, the manager said the bar is shut down after employees became infected.
It's the latest battle businesses all over the Sacramento region are facing as the delta variant spreads.
Ashley Delgado, the manager at the Thirsty Goat in Woodland, thought she was safe. She was vaccinated, but still got the virus anyway. She posted a note on the front door of the bar telling her customers that big changes are on the way.
Employees and customers at the Thirsty Goat won't be back for at least another week.
"I felt like with our staff being mostly vaccinated and having masks available for people that this wouldn't be an issue," Delgado said.
But then COVID struck back. Her customers will now need to wear a mask unless they can provide proof of vaccination.
"We want to do everything we can to stay open, even if means we all are a little bit uncomfortable asking the hard question whether or not people are vaccinated or asking people to wear masks or not," Delgado said.
Yolo County health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson says those who tested positive need to quarantine.
"There isn't really a great protocol in place to notify other patrons in the bar," Dr. Sisson said.
Dr. Sisson said the fast-spreading Delta variant should give people reason to be concerned.
"We've also seen an increase in the number of patients in Yolo County hospitals with COVID. We had one on June 15 and 12 today, eight of whom are in the ICU," she said.
Sisson said most of those people are unvaccinated.
In Sacramento, a bar and a climbing wall are now requiring proof of vaccination to go maskless. Without any sort of government mandate, many businesses feel the push for safety falls on them.
"We want everyone to feel safe, so, if I have to ask people to put on their mask it's something I will do and my staff will do," Delgado said.
We asked Sisson whether people should be preparing for a summer COVID-19 surge because of the delta variant. She said cases are rising but does not anticipate hospitals becoming overwhelmed, thanks to roughly 50 percent of the county being vaccinated.
