Connie’s owner, daughter both positive for COVID-19. Family shares details of ordeal.
When Connie’s Mexico Cafe — one of Wichita’s oldest and most loved Mexican restaurants — announced via social media on Monday evening that it was closing down because an employee tested positive for COVID-19, details were scarce.
Now, one of owner Carmen Rosales’ daughters is sharing details of the ordeal — and thanking longtime customers of the 57-year-old restaurant for their support.
“We really appreciate the support and love and understanding people are sending us,” she said. “This is what’s the norm now with things, and unfortunately, we worried this was going to happen.”
As of Thursday, two members of the Connie’s family — owner Rosales and her youngest daughter, Adele Garcia — have tested positive for the virus, and a handful of other employees are experiencing symptoms, said daughter CiCi Garcia.
CiCi, who’s also exhibiting symptoms, was tested for the virus on Thursday and is awaiting results. The other employees are being tested as well.
The restaurant remains closed and is being professionally cleaned and disinfected, CiCi said. It will reopen, she said, but the family hasn’t decided when or whether they’ll resume dine-in or switch back to carryout only.
It was about 3 a.m. on Sunday morning when Adele, who also has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, started feeling sick with a fever, body aches, chills and nausea. She didn’t make a Father’s Day cookout at CiCi’s house the next day, and she told the family she was going to get tested.
“She immediately got results back within 12 hours, and she was positive,” CiCi said.
CiCi told her mother, Carmen, that the restaurant was going to have to close, and they began contacting employees. Then, both CiCi and Carmen began to feel ill. Carmen was tested on Wednesday in Andover and got her results back within an hour: another positive.
Cici also has symptoms, including the inability to taste and smell, and is hoping to get her test results back quickly.
In the meantime, the family has been trying to answer questions from customers who might be concerned about exposure.
Adele, who worked as a waitress in the days leading up to her diagnosis, wore a mask as she worked, just like all of the employees, CiCi said. Health department officials told the family that customers who visited on Friday and Saturday were the ones who were potentially at risk.
The health department did not ask the family to contact customers who dined in those days, CiCi said.
Both Adele and Carmen are feeling better, CiCi said, and she’s improving, too.
The family understood the risk when they reopened their dining room with limited seating on May 12, she said, and they’d even talked about what they would do if someone who worked at the restaurant tested positive for the virus.
It’s hard for restaurant owners to know exactly what to do, especially those who own small businesses, CiCi said. Though the Connie’s family was concerned, they also had bills stacking up.
“Thank God we were able to get assistance, but there was still the pressure of opening back up, and we wanted everything to get back to normal,” she said. “It’s kind of scary now. We have to really think about what’s going on around us. Is it going to get worse? What are we going to do?”
The family has been talking to other restaurant owners, CiCi said, and they express the same fears.
There are no easy answers right now for small business owners, she said.
“It’s a really hard decision. It’s really tough,” she said. “You have employees, and they depend on you for their income. It’s a really tough time, for restaurant owners especially.”
Customers who have concerns about exposure can message Connie’s via Facebook, CiCi said. She’s trying to respond to all questions that come in. People may also call 2-1-1 United Way of the Plains to schedule no-cost testing at the Sedgwick County Health Department.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 11:58 AM.
.jpg)