The only two In-N-Out burger locations in Colorado have experienced more than 100 cases of coronavirus, according to a local government agency that is tracking outbreaks in the region.
According to NBC affiliate KUSA, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said on Wednesday that 122 employees have tested positive for coronavirus at the two locations, both of which opened in November to long lines of excited customers. Of the 122 cases, 42 stemmed from the Aurora restaurant, while the other 80 cases are at the outpost in Colorado Springs. (Important to note: these numbers only include known infections including staff members, excluding data that may include consumers.)
In a statement sent to TODAY Food, Denny Warnick, vice president of operations for the popular burger chain said, "We remain committed to doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
"While state reporting of COVID-19 cases is subject to a delay while data is compiled, at the present time we are experiencing a substantial improvement in the number of our Associates testing positive for COVID-19 at both of our Colorado locations," he continued. "However, we are concerned when any member of our Associate family is affected and we will continue to take action to keep our teams as safe as possible."
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Warnick added that the company is working closely with Colorado public health agencies to "review and confirm that the proactive steps we are taking are appropriate and effective in protecting our communities."
"Some of those precautions include limiting staff to the minimum necessary number, using staff 'cohorts' to limit possible exposure, and limiting dining room access to takeout orders only to ensure appropriate physical distancing," he said in the statement. "If an Associate does test positive, we take immediate steps to identify, and exclude from work, anyone that may have been in close contact with the individual."
The Colorado health officials deem an outbreak as something that is more than two infections. For an outbreak to be resolved, 28 days must pass with no new positive cases.