Colorado’s two new In-N-Out locations are facing an outbreak of COVID-19 among employees as the number of positive tests continued to rise this week.
Up to 145 employees at the Colorado Springs and Aurora In-N-Out locations have tested positive for COVID-19 since an initial outbreak last December, according to a report released by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Wednesday, the Denver Post reported.
The Colorado Springs site has registered 83 cases of COVID-19 since its outbreak began on December 6; Aurora has had 62 positive tests since the outbreak began on December 17. (An outbreak is defined as two or more positive cases linked to a location or event, according to Colorado state health officials.)
Outbreaks in the two In-N-Out locations are considered the biggest among state restaurants since the pandemic began, according to the Gazette. Despite this, the two restaurants remain open as an outbreak does not require closure – however, local health departments can force the closure if necessary. (It should be noted that In-N-Out may voluntarily close.)
The health departments that oversee these two locations did not say that a forced closure was on the horizon when questioned by the Gazette. A county spokeswoman told the newspaper that there are no current recommendations to close the local In-N-Out, and the In-N-Out leadership is in “regular communication” with the health department.
“Based on the monitoring and investigation of Public Health, In-N-Out is adhering to frequent cleaning and disinfection protocols, in addition to screening employees, excluding sick employees and cohort of employees”, Natalie Sosa, spokeswoman from El Paso County, he told the Gazette. “Recommendations for temporarily closing are given when the transmission within the facility is identified and to allow for proper cleaning and disinfection.”
El Paso County said in a statement to the Colorado Springs Business Journal that no customers in Colorado Springs were related to the outbreak. It is not clear whether the same applies to the Aurora outpost.
Denny Warnick, vice president of operations for In-N-Out, said Colorado’s two In-N-Out locations currently have “fewer than five confirmed active cases” and are seeing “substantial improvement” in the number of cases that occurred, he said restaurant trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News. Employees who tested positive earlier have recovered, he said, and are “currently healthy and well”.
“We are working closely with our public health agencies to review and confirm that the proactive measures we are taking are appropriate and effective in protecting our communities,” said Warnick in part. “This includes limiting the number of Associates and Clients indoors, using staff ‘cohorts’ and responding quickly to identify and exclude from work anyone who has been in close contact with an individual who is positive.
“We remain committed to doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” he continued. “The actions that we will continue to take at our restaurants in Colorado are guided by our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our customers and associates.”
Two In-N-Out locations in Southern California have also experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 among their employees. The Palmdale and Sherman Oaks locations had seven and eight employees, respectively, who tested positive for COVID-19, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
Colorado is excited about the arrival of In-N-Out since the announcement was first made in 2017; when the Colorado Springs and Aurora locations opened on November 20 last year, customers waited up to 12 hours to get their hands on a Double-Double.