Georgia Waffle House Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus

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A Waffle House worker in Cherokee County, Georgia, tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to officials with the chain.

The employee worked at the Waffle House at 1849 Marietta Highway in Canton, located in metropolitan Atlanta.

Twelve employees who worked at the location are now under self-quarantine. The restaurant is also closed, officials told WSB-TV, adding that none of the employees have displayed symptoms of the virus.

Waffle House said the employee was new and only worked at the location for one day on March 1. The patient was taken to the hospital but was later released and is in isolation.

The firm told WSB that the employees who are being quarantined will be paid. Meanwhile, the location is closed for sanitization.

The company said it is working with the Cherokee County Health Department to advise them on how to move forward.

“We continue to work with state and local health department personnel for guidance. Our main concern has been, and will continue to be, the safety of our associates and customers,” Waffle House said.

“To our knowledge, none of those Associates have shown any sign of illness,” another Waffle House spokesperson told Fox5.

Waffle House spokeswoman Njeri Boss said the chain will remove condiment caddies from tables due to the virus outbreak, and customers can request them. The restaurant will also tell employees to carry out additional sanitizing measures to make sure employees’ hands and equipment are not infected with the new virus.

Georgia health officials said there are currently more than a dozen confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state.