COVID-19 breakthrough case prompts temporary closure of Organ Stop Pizza

MESA, Ariz. - Officials with Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa say they will be closed for several days due to a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

According to a statement posted on the restaurant's Twitter account, they recently learned that a fully-vaccinated employee tested positive for COVID-19.

"The employee was diligent about mask wearing, but in an abundance of caution, we will be closing for several days to deep clean the restaurant and ensure when our customers return, they are entering a safe environment for everyone," read a portion of the statement.

In the same statement, officials with the restaurant say all of their employees are "strongly encouraged" to get tested for COVID-19 in an effort to ensure a safe environment for everyone.

Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa (file)

Arizona seeing new surge in COVID-19 cases

On Aug. 23, officials with the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 2,632 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 but no new deaths. It is the first time in five days that the state's daily tally of new cases has been below 3,000.

The number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continues to go up and stands at 1,901. The last time it was that high was mid-February as Arizona was coming down from a winter surge.

Much of the U.S. is dealing with a resurgence of COVID-19 brought on by the delta variant. Hospitals and many medical professionals and some politicians are practically begging people to get vaccinated, since the vaccine in most cases prevents severe infections. School districts and states continue to butt heads over mask mandates.

On Aug. 20, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced, via a legal opinion, that businesses within Arizona can require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but schools, public universities, community colleges, state government entities, and local government entities are banned by state law from requiring their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Some of the laws, however, will take effect on Sept. 29.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report

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