Employee social media posts accuse Zipps Sports Grill of hiding virus cases

What the heck is going on at Zipps Sports Grill?

On Saturday, employees of the local sports bar chain, which has 14 Valley locations, took to social media to report five workers at the Arcadia location in east Phoenix had tested positive for the coronavirus and, in a remarkable move, urge customers to stay away:

Zipps was silent on the issue until Sunday afternoon, when it finally admitted it had experienced its ‘‘first positive Covid result.’’ The chain did not address the employee posts, which quickly had spread across social media, and said the Arcadia location would not close.

Zipps’ response understandably poured gas on the social media fire, leading the chain to change course late Sunday:

Zipps, it should be noted, was one of the few Valley restaurants that announced last month that employees at its just-reopened locations would not be required to wear masks or gloves, in part, because they were ‘‘very uncomfortable’’ and ‘‘cumbersome.’’

The chain has East Valley locations in Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert, and Tempe.

I hope all Valley restaurants consider this weekend’s incident to be a textbook case of how NOT to handle positive tests for coronavirus.