John’s of Arthur Avenue is a community-minded restaurant. This photo from 2017 shows owner Colin Smith distributing tee shirts to visitors from Devereux Tristate Adult Day Care, who were treated to lunch and some pizza-making tips (File photo by Anya Tikka)
These graphs from the Pennsylvania Department of health on Sept. 15 show the curve of Pike County cases (right) going up more sharply than cases statewide (left).
Milford. Two restaurants in Milford, John’s of Arthur Avenue and Dunkin’ Donuts, have temporarily closed because of Covid-19 infections among their employees.
John’s of Arthur Avenue reopened Thursday, after a short closure.
New cases have recently risen more sharply in Pike County than in the state as a whole (see graph). On Sept. 10 there were 32 new cases reported in Pike. The last time Pike’s daily caseload saw numbers like that was on April 12, with 32 cases reported that day.
“Due to a staff member testing positive for Covid-19, we are temporarily closed until further notice,” said a Facebook post by John’s of Arthur Avenue on Sept. 14. “We are closing completely to fully clean and sanitize the premises as well as for our staff to be tested.
“We apologize for any inconvenience. For everyone’s safety, please keep washing your hands, social distancing, and wearing masks in the necessary surroundings to protect others.”
John’s of Arthur Avenue is a community-minded restaurant that contributes to many local causes. Recently the restaurant offered a free lunch to all participants at the annual Plein Air Milford to be held this Saturday, May 18.
Pike County has one of the lowest Covid vaccination rates in the Pennsylvania, coming in 42nd out of 67 counties. Fewer than 50 percent of Pike residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Of those who have received at least one dose, fewer than half are fully vaccinated, which is considered the best defense against the more contagious Delta variant circulating in the state.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the original.