Cle Elum Taco Bell Closed for Cleaning

Kittitas County, WA – 05/15/2020 – The Cle Elum Taco Bell was closed for cleaning in response to COVID-19. The Cle Elum location is following their corporate response plan. The corporation chose to close and deep clean after a regional employee who had visited the location later tested positive for COVID-19. The case is not from Kittitas County and the Incident Management Team was not notified by the Taco Bell Corporation regarding the situation.

The Kittitas County Incident Management Team (IMT) has a list of possible close contacts and we are working to gather additional information. Area residents who ate at Taco Bell do not need to be concerned about potential exposure from eating food from the location.

The requirement of safety plans for operating businesses provides for mitigating situations like these, which will continue to happen.  Protocols must be in place to address staying home when sick, physical distancing, masking, increased hand-washing, and what steps a business will take if an employee tests positive for COVID-19.  Establishments are not required to contact the IMT.

“We encourage businesses to coordinate with the IMT,” states Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson.  “Any assistance the county provides us will increase our efficiency in responding if there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 that is associated with the establishment.”  The Kittitas County Incident website has information available for businesses to complete a safety plan.  Worksheets are available along with opportunities to request technical assistance.  “We want businesses to plan for this right now, so we can continue to move forward.”