Oakland County Warns That Royal Oak Bar Customers May Have Been Exposed to COVID-19 #DetroitFood

Fifth Avenue on April 6, 2019. | Fifth Avenue [Official photo]

At least three people who visited Fifth Avenue sports bar later tested positive for COVID-19

Three people who visited Royal Oak’s Fifth Avenue club and sports bar have tested positive for COVID-19, Oakland County confirmed on Monday evening. The three individuals visited the popular bar on Friday, June 19 and later started to show symptoms of a novel coronavirus infection.

Health officials are advising anyone who visited Fifth Avenue on June 19 to self-monitor for symptoms of the virus. Symptoms of COVID-19 can arise between two and or 14 days after exposure to the novel coronavirus.

The patrons told Oakland County Health Division case investigators that the bar was crowded at the time of their visit — suggesting that customers were not social distancing. A state executive order permitted bars and restaurants around the state to reopen on Monday, June 8 at 50 percent capacity with six feet of social distance between groups.

Eater has reached out to Fifth Avenue for comment and will update this post if more information becomes available. Eater has also reached out to the Oakland County Health Division for more details on whether the individuals who tested positive were part of the same group or separate.

According to social media posts, Fifth Avenue was among many bars in the state that reopened on June 8. The bar’s website currently lists measures it’s taking to help limit the spread of the virus including: taking guests’ temperatures; cleaning surfaces regularly; using disposable drinkware and plates and menus; using virtual menus; enforcing mask use when not seated; requiring masks to enter the building; and keeping tables six feet apart. It’s not clear if those measures were being enforced on June 19 and the bar hasn’t issued a statement about the cases.

Oakland County’s officials are now urging restaurants, bars, and nightclubs to take mask requirements, capacity limits, and social distancing seriously. “We have made good progress in managing what is a highly contagious virus and we can’t backslide now. Social distancing and facial coverings work and they are critical to our safe reopening strategies,” Oakland County executive David Coulter said in a release.

The announcement comes at a time when many states are pausing and rolling back reopening plans in response to new surges of cases. Many areas are targeting bars in particular, which appear to be having a more difficult time enforcing rules around social distancing and mask use. Ingham County imposed new restrictions on restaurant capacity on Monday in the aftermath of an outbreak tied to a massive college bar, Harper’s, in East Lansing. There are currently 107 positive cases of COVID-19 associated with the bar. Several other businesses have closed temporarily for cleaning as a precaution in recent days after coming into contact with staff or patrons who later tested positive for COVID-19.

Eater is tracking the impact of the novel coronavirus on the local food industry. Have a story to share? Reach out at detroit@eater.com.

• COVID-19 Potential Exposure Reported at Fifth Avenue Royal Oak [Official]
• Fifth Avenue Website [Official]
• Outbreak Connected to East Lansing Bar Balloons to 107 Cases, Spreads to Grosse Pointe Area [ED]

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