Three Smithfield eateries are closed this week due to possible employee exposure to COVID-19.

Cure Coffeehouse, located at 113 N. Church St., announced on Facebook Jan. 3 that a staff member at its Norfolk location — 503 Botetourt St. — had tested positive for the disease. According to the post, Cure’s Smithfield staff is currently healthy and has had no crossover with the Norfolk staff.

“While our Norfolk team quarantines and waits for their test results to come in, our Smithfield store will close temporarily so that our team there can keep the doors of Norfolk open,” the post states.

Due to the shortened staffing, Cure will limit the operating hours of its Norfolk location from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. until enough negative COVID-19 test results come through to permit the coffeehouse to return to normal hours. The coffeehouse expects to be able to reopen its Smithfield location by the morning of Jan. 6.

The same day as the Cure announcement, The Cockeyed Rooster Cafe at 1268 Benns Church Blvd. posted to its Facebook page that it too has recently had an employee exposed to the virus. While the post does not say whether this person has tested positive or is merely in quarantine following close contact with an infected individual, the restaurant will be taking the next 10 days, Jan. 4-13, to sanitize its dining room.

The Smithfield Ice Cream Parlor owner Margaret Carroll also posted to Facebook on Jan. 2 that “for the safety and concern of my employees and customers, Smithfield Ice Cream parlor will be closed for awhile so that we may do a deep cleaning and sanitizing.” The post does not specify if any employees have tested positive for COVID-19 or whether anyone was exposed to someone who has, nor does it specify how long the restaurant will remain closed.

Isle of Wight County has had 1,588 cumulative COVID-19 cases, 79 hospitalizations and 29 deaths as of Jan. 4 — equating to roughly one in every 23 residents having tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic reached Virginia in March 2020.