The Coug reopens after being closed last Thursday

Business closed after customer tested positive for COVID-19; employees cleared of virus

The+Coug+reopened+on+Tuesday+after+closing+last+Thursday.+Patrons+are+required+to+wear+masks+and+practice+social+distancing.+

BENJAMIN MICHAELIS | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

The Coug reopened on Tuesday after closing last Thursday. Patrons are required to wear masks and practice social distancing.

SYDNEY BROWN, Evergreen reporter

The Coug reopened yesterday at 11:30 a.m. after its employees were cleared of COVID-19. 

The business closed last Thursday because a customer visited the business and then tested positive for COVID-19. 

All employees were sent into quarantine so those working the shift during the customer’s stay could be tested, said Lance Lijewski, The Coug’s social media manager. 

Each employee who worked that shift has been cleared to return to work, Lijewski said.

“We did not open until we … had the answers we needed,” he said. 

The Coug will have the same procedures in place as before the shutdown, Lijewski said. This includes ID and temperature checks, mandatory masks even in the outdoor areas, and required sign-in for contact tracing. 

The customer was awaiting test results when they visited the establishment June 19, Lijewski said. The Coug’s employees were notified of the positive result last Thursday, and officials promptly shut the bar down. 

The Coug has taken to social media to get across its point of wearing masks. In response to a now-deleted tweet, The Coug wrote “Please do not visit us after we reopen until your attitude & behavior changes. The health & safety of our staff, our customers, & you are more important to us than this kind of response.” 

“Our stance on anyone who is upset with the statements we’ve made … are people we don’t feel comfortable having as customers or guests at this time,” Lijewski said. 

More info about The Coug’s guidelines can be found on the business’ website