COVID-19 case closes Geno's restaurant
Mar. 17—MANCHESTER — Cafe Aura, the restaurant owned by University of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, announced that it's temporarily closing after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 — days after UConn said Auriemma had tested positive and would miss the opening of the NCAA Tournament.
In an a statement posted on its website, the restaurant said, "We've made the tough decision that we will be temporarily closing our doors as of this afternoon. We've just learned a front of house team member has tested positive for COVID-19.
"While we've taken every step to follow CDC guidelines and even implemented many of our own protocols, we still want to be overly cautious and take the time to deeply clean the restaurant, as well as give our staff the time needed to get tested so we can confidently re-open our doors in the near future."
The restaurant said it has had a plan in place for such a scenario. "While we understand some will be disappointed by canceled reservations and having to postpone the upcoming Wine Dinner, we appreciate all of the support and understanding at this time," it said.
The restaurant said it will continue to monitor the situation and will follow officials' recommendations to keep staff and customers safe.
Auriemma's restaurant group opened Cafe Aura in 2019 in the former Cavey's restaurant at 45 E. Center St. The group also has taken over the restaurant at the Manchester Country Club, which is expected to open soon.
