Three downtown Charleston restaurants temporarily close after employees test positive for COVID-19

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Fleet Landing, Cru Cafe, and Purlieu all closed temporarily this week after employees at the restaurants tested positive for COVID-19.

The owners of Fleet Landing, which sits on the Charleston Harbor, were told on Monday night that one of their employees tested positive for the virus. They got in touch with the state’s department of health and closed their doors.

“We made the decision to close for a couple of days. That’s not necessarily mandated anywhere. For us, it was more about communication with our staff,” owner Weesie Newton said. “We felt with everything going on in the world and with the virus and with reopening and all of the restrictions, that a couple of days for everyone to take a deep breath and then start again is what worked for us.”

Newton said the restaurant has also set their own restrictions for their staff. Since they reopened, all employees have to have their temperature taken before entering the building and are all required to wear masks.

“Every 30 minutes, there is procedure that goes through the entire restaurant and all high-touch areas," she said.

They’ve also ditched physical menus and now offer a QR code for the menu.

An employee at Cru Catering, another area business, also tested positive over the weekend, and its owners who also runs Cru Cafe and Purlieu closed all three businesses for this week out of an abundance of caution.

Fleet Landing plans to reopen Friday, but no date has yet been set for Cru Cafe and Purlieu.

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