Waffle House can weather hurricanes — but one in Georgia just closed for coronavirus

Waffle House — an unshakable Southern breakfast chain, unafraid in the face of natural disasters, and open so reliably that FEMA uses them to measure the intensity of catastrophe — is not immune to coronavirus.

A Georgia location was recently forced to close temporarily after it was discovered a worker had been infected with COVID-19, according to CBS46.

The employee who tested positive for the virus worked on March 1, and the Canton, Georgia, restaurant was then closed for cleaning, CBS46 reported.

That worker has since been released from the hospital and is in isolation, and 12 other store employees are under self-quarantine. As of Tuesday, the Waffle House is still closed, WSBTV reported.

Waffle House told WSBTV that the infected employee only worked one day in the last two weeks, and that since discovering he was ill with the virus, the chain has worked closely with local health officials to handle the situation.

“During the restaurant closure, we sanitized the restaurant thoroughly, using methods specifically designed to clean and disinfect,” Waffle House Director of Public Relations Njeri Boss said in a statement released to 11Alive.

According to 11Alive, the 12 employees that were on staff with their sickened coworker have been told to stay in their homes until March 14.

There are currently six confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia, and 11 others are presumed to be infected, according to the state Department of Public Health.

This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Waffle House can weather hurricanes — but one in Georgia just closed for coronavirus."