Rieley and Kim Kay, owners of  Cilantro and Chive, were notified today of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in someone who may have visited the restaurant earlier this month. 

The staff and team have been taking extensive precautions - temperature checks for staff, hand washing and sanitization round the clock, mask-wearing, and stringent hygiene standards - since they re-opened their doors a few weeks ago. 

Rieley said they wanted to let people know to help clear up any confusion and to share their understanding and concern people might be feeling around the news. 

"We've been taking this very seriously and we were one of the first places to close in central Alberta ahead of the mandate. We also took our time re-opening to ensure that our staff, our guests and our community are being looked after and being held in a safe, comfortable environment," he said. 

Alberta Health Services notified the Kays that there has been one person with a now confirmed case of COVID-19 who may have been in the restaurant on July 4th or 5th.

This is not a confirmed case of the staff or team members, it was simply a notification that someone passed through the restaurant on those days who has now been confirmed to have the virus. 

"We've been working with AHS, [Centre for Disease Control], and Occupational Health & Safety to ensure that the policies and procedures and everything we do have in place are of the highest standards," Rieley said on Friday afternoon.

"We actually had OH&S through our doors just over a week ago and they were very complementary to the procedures and systems that we do have in place from our staff wearing masks to hand sanitizer on all of the tables, to our sanitization practices in our kitchen and our front...they have reiterated to us that there is not a major concern or an immediate concern at this time," Rieley said. 

He said they simply wanted people to be aware, especially if they feel as if they want to get tested to ensure their own safety.

The restaurant is still open for both dine-in and take-out options, and Cilantro & Chive continues to follow all public health measures for sanitation and physical distancing measures.