A second Naples restaurant has temporarily closed due to a potential COVID-19 case. 

The New York Pizza & Pasta at 8855 Immokalee Road shut its doors Saturday after learning of a “probable exposure” according to a statement posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page Monday.

It is the second Naples restaurant to announce it closed Saturday due to COVID-19. The Tommy Bahama Restaurant on Third Street South also closed that day after an employee tested positive for the virus. 

The North Naples location of New York Pizza & Pasta is reopening today, according to company spokesman Andres Paz. 

More: Third Street restaurant closed temporarily after confirmed case of COVID-19

And: Beach spot: New Fifth Avenue South Sava restaurant will cater to casual crowd

Florida’s dining rooms reopened May 4 after the governor forced them to close March 20 in an attempt to slow the pandemic. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Collier County and the state. 

More: Coronavirus in Collier County: What you need to know Monday, June 8

“We have taken and are taking diligent measures in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines to ensure the safety of our employees and customers,” New York Pizza & Pasta’s Facebook post said.  

“Our first priority is the health and safety of our employees and customers. Therefore, all our staff have access to appropriate and immediate testing. Additionally, our restaurant has been thoroughly and professionally cleaned and sanitized.

“If you believe you may have been exposed to the (coronavirus), please contact your healthcare provider and also follow the guidelines of the relevant health authorities.”

John Maffei, one of the restaurant’s co-owners, said he paid $25,000 out of pocket to get rapid testing done for the nearly 50 employees who work there.

He said that he could not disclose whether any employees had tested positive, but that any employees working in the restaurant currently have been tested and received negative results, clearing them to work.

“I can’t disclose what exactly happened. I can’t disclose that because it’s a HIPPA law, so I can’t say what happened with every employee, but one thing I can tell you is that everybody is 100%. Anyone who is in this building is 100% tested and is safe to come back in.”

The restaurant has also undergone professional cleaning, sanitizing and fogging, according to Maffei.

For more on New York Pizza & Pasta visit facebook.com/newyorkpizzanpasta or newyorkpp.com. 

More: 112-plus restaurants requiring staff to wear face masks in SWFL 

More from Tommy Bahama Restaurant

The Tommy Bahama Restaurant at 1220 Third St. S., Naples, has closed temporarily after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. 

The restaurant has remained closed since Saturday as more employees undergo testing. In a news release, the restaurant said the closure was “out of an abundance of caution.”

“We will monitor the situation to determine when we will reopen the Naples location,” the restaurant stated in a news release sent Monday night following a request from the Daily News. 

Tommy Bahama required its Naples staff to wear masks and other personal-protective equipment while working. 

“The health and safety of our team and our guests remain our number one priority,” the release continued. “We are being extremely proactive in all areas of our business to implement the enhanced safety protocols to reduce any risk of illness. We have taken precautions at each of our locations, providing the necessary sanitizing supplies and making sure that our buildings are clean and our employees and guests are safe.   

“This is a very dynamic situation and Tommy Bahama will continue to adjust our response as the situation warrants.”

Rob Goldberg, vice president of bars and restaurants for Tommy Bahama, said the restaurant makes sure employees all use one entrance and are screened before each shift with temperature checks and verbal questions. All employees are required to wear masks. However, Goldberg said the infected employee was asymtpomatic.

“We had actually taken his temperature the day before and it was normal,” Goldberg said. “I think this sort of underscores the cunning nature of this virus and how difficult it is to manage.”

During Goldberg’s interview, all employees were being tested and none so far had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

On Saturday night, the restaurant reached out to all guests in the facility who may have had contact with the virus to inform them of the situation. Goldberg said it was a long process, but that the restaurant felt it was the right thing to do.

“We prefer to be overly cautious in situations like this,” he said. “We have a long history in Naples with the community there and we’re just going to carefully consider all our decisions.”

If you know of more restaurants where employees have tested positive for COVID-19, please email [email protected] or [email protected]. 

Read or Share this story: https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2020/06/09/two-naples-restaurants-closed-after-staff-test-positive-covid-19/5325722002/