Popular Bradenton seafood restaurants report COVID-19 cases. They will stay open
John Horne, owner of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar, confirmed Wednesday that two of his staff have tested positive for COVID-19, and are now recovering at home.
The cases are linked to the AMOB locations at 6696 Cortez Road W., Bradenton, and 1525 51st Ave. E., Ellenton.
“It wasn’t question of if, but when,” Horne said of a staff member testing positive for COVID-19.
Horne said all of his restaurants are remaining open because of social distancing, stringent, deep-cleaning sanitation practices and employee health checks.
“Every one of our staff is in masks and wearing gloves. We bang a gong every 30 minutes and that is a signal for everyone to wash their hands,” he said.
When staff members report for work they have their temperature taken and are asked if they have a fever, aches, a cough, or shortness of breath. If any of those red flags appear, they are sent home. If any staff member has a positive test for COVID-19 they do not reenter the restaurant until they are fully recovered, he said.
Much of the service at the restaurants is contactless, including making the menu available on the customer’s smart phone.
Known for his community service, Horne started his day Wednesday at a virtual Dive Into Reading session. The Anna Maria Oyster Bars delayed opening for a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis partially lifted the lockdown on restaurant dining rooms.
Horne said he wanted to make sure measures were in place to keep guests and staff as safe as possible before reopening in May.
Two local restaurants, Sea Hut, 5611 U.S. 19, Palmetto, and the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe, 4000 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, announced on social media that they were temporarily closing after some of their staff tested positive for COVID-19.
“While closing is not required or mandatory, we believe temporarily closing is the safest option right now,” The AMI Beach Cafe said in its Facebook post.
Horne said he decided to stay open because of the preventive steps Anna Maria Oyster Bar has taken.
“I am in daily conversations with other restaurateurs trying to find the best practices,” he said.
As an additional step, Horne said he is considering asking guests to wear a mask and have their temperature taken before entering one of his restaurants.
“Our entire community needs to do a better job of protecting each other. We would truly love for everyone to come in wearing a mask,” he said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 12:26 PM.
