Union Square Hospitality Group’s The Modern closes for sanitation after guest tests positive for coronavirus

Union Square Hospitality Group closed its Manhattan restaurant The Modern on Monday night after learning that a guest who dined there on March 5 had later tested positive for coronavirus.

The group’s founder Danny Meyer confirmed the news in a Tweet late Monday, saying every inch of the fine-dining restaurant would be sanitized and it would reopen on Tuesday. “Team & guests come first,” he wrote, adding that the state’s health commissioner said there was no risk of transmission.

The guest who tested positive was reportedly Rick Cotton, the head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, according to The New York Times.

In a statement, a spokesperson for USHG said Cotton's exposure to coronavirus occured on Friday, the day after his visit to The Modern. Nonetheless, the company decided to close the restaurant to perform a deep cleaning. "We are acting with an abundance of caution on behalf of our team members and our guests," the company said.

First opened in 2005, The Modern is located in the Museum of Modern Art and features a prix fixe menu overlooking the Sculpture Garden.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said the state had 142 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 19 cases in New York City.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to correct the timeline and include new information from Union Square Hospitality Group.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]

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