2 Downtown Concord Restaurants Temporarily Close Due To COVID-19

Tony Schinella
Updated ·4 min read

CONCORD, NH — Two of Concord's popular downtown restaurants have temporarily closed their doors due to COVID-19 positive test results.

The Draft, located at 67 S. Main St., was closed on Thursday night while The Barley House, at 132 N. Main St. temporarily closed on Friday.

State health officials issued community exposure alerts for both restaurants as well as two in Portsmouth and an eatery in Peterborough Friday.

At least two people have tested positive for COVID-19 after patronizing The Barley House, the State Joint Information Center said. The patrons were "potentially infectious" during the visits to the bar area on Oct. 12, Oct. 13, Oct. 14, and Oct. 16.

"This is an active investigation and other dates may be identified, so anyone who visited the establishment since Oct. 12 should watch for symptoms and seek testing should they develop," the state said.

Five people who have tested positive visited The Draft while being potentially infectious on Oct. 9, Oct. 11, and between Oct. 14, to Oct. 18.

Anyone visiting The Draft since Oct. 9 should also watch for symptoms and seek testing if symptoms develop, the state said.

Neither Brian Shea, the owner of The Barley House, nor Andy Sanborn, the owner of The Draft, returned emails or phone calls seeking comment.

At 10 a.m., no one was present at The Draft but a note was posted on the front door.

"In spite of strenuously following state and federal guidelines for sanitization and COVID-19 protection protocols, it has come to our attention that an employee tested positive for COVID-19," the note said. "In an abundance of caution, and acknowledging no other employees are exhibiting symptoms, we are asking all our employees to get tested and will temporarily close while we wait for results."

At 2:30 p.m., no one answered the restaurant door at The Barley House and no note was posted. At 3:15 p.m., notes were left on the front doors saying the restaurant would be closed due to "state guidelines and practices" but made no mention of the coronavirus. The note said the restaurant hoped to reopen on Nov. 2 and that there would be more information at the restaurant's website.

Later Friday, the Barley House updated customers about the situation on its website.

"We have had 2 positive tests from staff members traced from outside the restaurant," the note said. "We are following all guidance from the state to make sure we are keeping our employees and the public safe. We will continue with our extensive cleaning, sanitation, and best practices outline by the CDC, State of NH, and the NH Restaurant Association. We look forward to serving our loyal guests and the greater Concord community very soon!"

Patch was in the process of interviewing Shea, Sanborn, and others for a follow-up story about the state of the restaurant business in the wake of the pandemic after both sat down for interviews before reopening earlier this year.

Shea offered comments about what The Barley House would be doing as his businesses entered into the fall months in the video below posted to YouTube.com earlier this week.

Restaurants in Portsmouth have also been hit with COVID-19 positive test results and cases during the past few weeks.

State Health Information

COVID-19 can present with a wide range of symptoms including fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell. Any person who develops new symptoms should stay home, limit their contact with others, immediately contact their healthcare provider and get tested for COVID-19. Guidance for self-quarantining is available here.

Whether or not you are experiencing symptoms, multiple testing options throughout the State are available to potentially exposed individuals. For persons without health insurance or a primary care provider, testing is available and can be scheduled by calling 603-271-5980 or through completing the online form located here. Other options for testing can be found here.

COVID-19 continues to circulate in our communities, so all people need to protect themselves and help prevent further community spread, by:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

  • Avoid close contact with others. When outside your home, keep a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and others. This is known as social distancing.

  • Wear a cloth face covering that covers your mouth and nose to protect others when in public areas.

  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.

  • Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

  • Stay home if you have a fever or are not feeling well.

  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For more information on COVID-19 in New Hampshire, visit the state's portal link here.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch