State officials are inquiring about a death of a St. Elmo Steak House worker amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the restaurant.
The restaurant was back serving Monday after multiple employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. Still, many workers opted to quarantine rather than get a required test, hampering the full strength of the state s most renowned restaurant.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is following up on a workplace fatality at St. Elmo.
We did receive a report about a workplace fatality and IOSHA has reached out to get more information, said IOSHA spokesperson Stephanie McFarland.
Why did St. Elmo close?
St. Elmo had been closed until further notice after multiple employees of the downtown Indianapolis restaurant tested positive for coronavirus.
Craig Huse, president of Huse Culinary, issued a statement late Saturday confirming that nine St. Elmo s employees have contracted the virus.
When did St. Elmo close?
The Marion County Public Health Department said St. Elmo on Saturday notified it that the restaurant was voluntarily closing temporarily as a result of multiple employees testing positive for COVID-19.
Current and former employees, who spoke to the IndyStar on the condition that their names would not be used, said the restaurant closed about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The company sent a media notice about the closing about 11 p.m.
Indianaâs statewide mask mandate is no more, but what that means for the daily life of Hoosiers isnât as simple as it may seem in the language of the new executive order.
Fewer than 10 states across the nation have rescinded mask requirements established at the start of the pandemic, and as of Tuesday, Indiana now stands among them.
But with Gov. Eric Holcombâs late March announcement that the NCAA National Championship game would mark the final day of the statewide rule came fine print that masks remain mandatory in some places, and are still recommended everywhere.
Local governments and businesses also retain the autonomy to make Hoosiers mask up before coming in, a move that is supported by local health experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
St. Elmo Employee Dies from COVID-Related Symptoms
INDIANAPOLIS St. Elmo Steak House in downtown Indianapolis shut down after nine employees tested positive for coronavirus. The famous restaurant is now back open, but one of the workers died from COVID-related issues.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirms they received a report of the death from St. Elmo. IOSHA Spokeswoman Stephanie McFarland said that worker did not die at the restaurant.
IOSHA is following up with St. Elmo on the death.
On Monday night, the restaurant sent out a memo to reporters saying it would not be commenting on the situation.
The Marion County Public Health Department believes there was no COVID-19 exposure to patrons who dined recently at St. Elmo Steak House, despite the restaurant s brief closure due to a coronavirus outbreak among employees.
Dr. Virginia Caine, Marion County Health Department director, said Tuesday that she didn t think there was much risk for patrons because they weren t in close contact with employees for extended periods of time.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define close contact as being within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, she said.
According to the health department, St. Elmo has the largest known number of cases related to a single outbreak among restaurants or food retail establishments.