Manco & Manco Pizza suspending sale of slices after employees test positive for COVID-19
OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Popular Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk pizza Manco and Manco's will remain closed until Saturday after three employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Owners originally said they would reopen Wednesday but later announced on Tuesday night that they have decided to test all employees and keep all three of its boardwalk locations closed until the weekend.
"Only employees with negative results will be allowed to return to work," the business said.
After the news was posted by Manco's on social media, word spread quickly among people on the boardwalk.
"We always go there to have pizza. And we did, on Sunday," said Kimberly Kuris of Beverly, N.J.
Owners say two of the employees were asymptomatic, and got tested because they came in contact with someone outside of work who tested positive.
"We contacted each staff member that was potentially in contact with those employees, encouraged them to get tested. And the three employees that are positive are quarantining for 14 days," said co-owner Chuck Bangle.
He says they didn't have to close for a full day, but they felt it was the right thing to do. When the shops reopen, they won't be selling pizza by the slice for now - just whole pies.
"We're going to look at a few other ways to revisit and handle and box those slices for customers," said Bangle.
We found customers who had just picked up some Manco's pizza Monday night.
"I was a little concerned when I saw that because picked up the pizzas last night and I'm hoping that everything is safe because we brought them home to my parents," said Carrie Dimond, visiting from Massachusetts.
The CDC says the risk of contracting COVID-19 from food or packaging is very low. It's primarily spread through respiratory droplets, and Manco's says all of its employees have been wearing masks.
Still, we found folks who take extra precautions whenever they order takeout.
"When we get our food we throw out the container, we wash our hands... we don't use any utensils from the restaurant," said Tyler DiCarlo from Absecon, N.J.
For those customers who are used to buying by the slice at Manco and Manco, owners say this is a temporary measure and you'll likely be able to by just one slice of pizza again sometime this summer.
