An employee working for Poke Theory SB in Isla Vista tested positive for coronavirus sometime in the last week, according to a manager at the store. 

After experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms, the employee stayed home and sought testing immediately. Max Abrams / Daily Nexus

After experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms, the employee stayed home and sought testing immediately, according to the store’s manager, who asked not to be named due to privacy concerns. 

After receiving a positive test, the employee reported it to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (SBCPHD), which notified Poke Theory SB, according to the manager. Once Poke Theory SB was made aware of the positive result, all other store employees were tested for coronavirus on Friday. The store, located at 6530 Seville Road, did not close. 

Since learning that an employee tested positive, Poke Theory SB has begun operating under stricter cleaning protocols as a precaution, the manager said. 

“[Customers] don’t walk into our store, it’s blocked off by the entrance,” the manager said. “What we do is we have customers come in and fill out a menu. Since it’s poke, we have a clipboard [to order food], so all they have to do is grab a pen and circle the items.” 

Poke Theory SB has been following the sanitary guidelines laid out by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and SBCPHD, which includes taking employee temperatures — and at Poke Theory SB, logging them — wiping down all surfaces with which patrons come in contact and mandating the employee use of masks and gloves at all times, the manager said. 

“What we’re trying to do is just make sure we report these things. We want to partake in the community and be responsible as well,” the manager said. “We have nothing to hide.”

As of Sunday, SBCPHD has confirmed 29 cases of COVID-19 in Isla Vista, only one of which is currently active.

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Max Abrams
Max Abrams served as the lead news editor for the 2020-2021 school year. He is from Buffalo. That's all you need to know.