Downtown Rochester pub shuts its doors after several employees test positive for Covid-19

Dooley’s Pub in Rochester has temporarily closed its doors to the public as a result of multiple staff members testing positive for Covid-19.

Owner Tory Runkle said the business closed following Friday night after learning two employees had confirmed cases of the disease. That number has since risen to as many as five employees, Runkle confirmed.

“When I made the decision to close, there were two confirmed cases of coronavirus,” said Runkle. “Both people, when they had symptoms, did not return to work and are now in isolation. We followed the protocol.”

Dooley’s first notified customers of the decision to close in a Facebook post on Saturday. The business said the move was in response to “the recent increase in Covid-19 cases throughout our state and country” — however, it stopped short of informing the public that employees had tested positive.

The post was met with criticism from social media users who wanted the business to be more forthcoming about the reasoning for the closure.

In an interview Monday, Runkle said it was not his intention to mislead the public. Instead, by voluntarily making the decision to close, Runkle said his goal was to be proactive with what he anticipated would have been a busy Saturday downtown for the Fourth of July holiday.

“Heaven forbid, if there was an asteroid heading for earth, people in Rochester would probably think it’s Dooley’s fault,” said Runkle. “So, I thought the smart thing to do was just close the door.”

Runkle said he has been working closely with the Olmsted County Public Health department to notify all parties who may have been in contact with employees from the business who tested positive for Covid-19.

Those individuals are all being offered guidance from Public Health on monitoring for symptoms while limiting risk for further transmission. Anyone with symptoms consistent with Covid-19 is being advised to call their medical provider to get tested.

“Dooley’s continues to be a trusted partner with Olmsted County Public Health and has sent notification to their employees about the situation and anyone who had been in direct contact with the staff member who tested positive will be contacted by OCPHS and placed on a 14 day self-isolation,” Public Health said in a statement Monday.

Runkle said he will make a decision on when to reopen in the next few days after talking with other business owners and following guidance from Gov. Tim Walz. He does not, however, anticipate reopening anytime this week.

“We’ll see whether the numbers increase, what happens downtown, and what the governor has to say,” said Runkle.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.