Ybor’s The Bricks temporarily closes after several employees test positive for the coronavirus

The Bricks in Ybor has temporarily closed after staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.

The owners of the popular bar and restaurant announced the news Monday morning on their Instagram account after hosting a Halloween party over the weekend. According to the statement, several employees tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the bar’s owners to close the business for two weeks. The bar at 1327 E 7th Ave. will reopen on Nov. 15.

“We recommend anyone who has visited the Bricks in the last 10 days to get tested and follow CDC guidelines,” the post said.

The announcement comes as cases continue to rise in the Tampa Bay area. Florida counted 4,651 more cases of the coronavirus on Monday and more than 700 of the new infections reported were in the Tampa Bay area.

Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed bars and restaurants to reopen at 100 percent capacity on Sept. 25. Since then, some business owners have said they would stay at 50 percent capacity, but restaurants and bars in the Tampa Bay region are increasingly busy as more and more people appear comfortable venturing out in public.

Aside from reporting cases to the Florida Department of Health, there are limited guidelines for restaurants and bars when an employee tests positive for the coronavirus. Restaurants and bars are not required to close or to disclose when a member of their staff tests positive, though many have adopted a practice of posting about an exposure on their social media accounts.

Several other businesses have reported exposures over the past week, including St. Petersburg’s Bandit Coffee Co., which closed for several days after a staff member tested positive. On Sunday, the owners of Pia’s in Gulfport said an employee tested positive after a shift last week, and has been in quarantine since.