Popular MS Coast Mexican restaurant temporarily closes after COVID-19 scare
A popular D’Iberville restaurant has closed temporarily after workers came in contact with someone with COVID-19, the owner told the Sun Herald.
Lillian Perez-Gollott said Pepe’s Bosque Mexican Grill, located on Central Avenue near Interstate 110, was professionally cleaned and flogged Wednesday.
“The chemical that is being used will kill the virus for up to seven days,” Perez-Gollott said in a Facebook post. “We do not have an opening date to share with you.”
Perez-Gollott said the person who tested positive for the coronavirus had come in contact with the restaurant last week and personally called Perez-Gollott to let her know about the test results at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
“I am very thankful that they came forward,” she said.
Perez-Gollott said she immediately drove to the restaurant Tuesday morning to let her staff know in person after consulting with the state’s health department and D’Iberville city officials. Servers were getting prepared for the lunch crowd. The kitchen crew had started to cook.
The entire restaurant was shut down within 30 minutes, Perez-Gollot said.
“All of our employees have been contacted and no one is experiencing symptoms of COVID but we feel that it’s our responsibility to remain closed until our staff has been cleared via testing,” she said in the Facebook post.
Perez-Gollot said she helped her staff find coronavirus testing sites and paid for all of the tests.
Now that the restaurant has been properly cleaned, she said Pepe’s will reopen once the test results come back.
“I need you to know that when you walk through these doors you can feel safe knowing that I would not expose you as I would not expose my family,” she said in the post.
Pepe’s closing comes during a time when there have been 3 days of with more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases reported in Mississippi. Harrison County is currently under a COVID-19 mask mandate set by Gov. Tate Reeves.
Perez-Gollott said the restaurant has been busy since reopening the dining room.
“If I had staff to open on Sundays, we’d probably be beating numbers from 2019,” she said.
Perez-Gollott said she ultimately decided to close for the safety of her guests and employees, some of whom are family. Her dad works at the restaurant daily.
“Regardless of how well we’re doing, it’s a time to prioritize,” she said. “We’re grateful for the business, but you can’t put a price tag on everybody’s health.”
