Outbreak prompts new hospital cafeteria rules

As a precaution after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 at ARRMC, use of cafeterias at all hospitals will be limited. ARRMC’s Rambling Rogue Cafe is now open only to hospital employees and onsite contractors. Visitors and Asante employees who work outside the hospital are asked to bring their own meals or use the restaurants and food trucks near the campus. The cafeterias at ATRMC and AACH are open to any Asante employee, but closed to visitors until further notice.

In late July, some ARRMC frontline staff were infected with COVID-19. Asante is still investigating how the outbreak happened and identifying gaps in protocol. In the meantime, all employees are urged to practice the best safety precautions. These include:

• Avoiding staff parties with community food items
• Wearing masks in break areas when unable to maintain physical distancing
• Requiring face masks for employees, patients and visitors
• Screening for wellness at hospital entrances
• Consistently cleaning and sanitizing often-touched surfaces
• Physical distancing at work when possible

“We cannot let our guard down,” said Asante CEO Scott Kelly. “And for good reason.”