The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) issued a warning of possible COVID-19 exposures at Arby’s and Staples on Oct. 26 in Ithaca.

One employee at the Arby’s located at 328 Elmira Rd. tested positive for COVID-19 and had worked multiple shifts at the restaurant. 

The potential exposures at Arby’s occurred from 3 to 11 p.m. Oct. 18, from 4 p.m. to midnight Oct. 21, from 4 p.m. to midnight Oct. 22, from 4 p.m. to midnight Oct. 23 and from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Oct. 24.

An employee at the Staples at 742 S. Meadow St. tested positive for COVID-19 and had worked two shifts at the store.

The potential public exposures at Staples occurred from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 17 and from noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 18.

Neither of the employees is Tompkins County residents, and their respective counties are conducting contact tracing to notify individuals who had close contact with those employees.

There are 79 active cases in the county as of Oct. 26. So far, October is the worst month in Tompkins County since COVID-19 tracking began, with 180 new cases. In September, there were 154 new cases.

TCHD recommends that anyone who was at either business during the listed times gets tested at the Cayuga Health sampling site located at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. 

There are currently six active cases at Ithaca College as of Oct. 26, and there have been 32 cases at the college since Aug. 14. Ithaca College students who are experiencing symptoms should call the Hammond Health Center at 607-274-3177. Faculty and staff members who are symptomatic are not allowed on campus and should go to the sampling site at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. On-campus testing is available for students and employees from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Athletics and Events Center.