Fredonia Beaver Club officers say the organization has followed all proper COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the county and state in regard to the recent cluster of cases tied to the location. In addition, they note that recent inspections by the Health Department have resulted in “complimentary reports on the safety measures the club has put in place to keep its members as safe as possible.”

However, club President Dave George also calls the recent events “unfortunate.”

On Tuesday, the club released a statement to the OBSERVER. It speaks to the decision to close as well as some of the circumstances tied to the infections.

Here is the full letter in its entirety from George:

“‘Clubs are not exempt from following the rules,’ was Chautauqua County Health Department Director, Christine Schuyler’s, comment in a release specifically linking the Fredonia Beaver Club to a recent cluster of positive cases of COVID-19. The truth is, however, that the Fredonia Beaver Club has followed all the rules. Since reopening the club in June, the club has worked diligently on its COVID-19 precautions and safety plan. In fact, two separate inspections by the Chautauqua County Health Department have resulted in complimentary reports on the safety measures the club has put in place to keep its members as safe as possible.

“All members and qualified guests are required to wear facial coverings at all times except while eating and/or drinking while seated at a table. All tables have been spaced to create the appropriate social distance between groups. All staff are required to wear face coverings and sanitize their hands frequently and to check their temperatures upon arriving to work. Sanitation stations including hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes have been installed around the club. Reduced capacity is being enforced. These are the rules; and the club has followed all of them.

“It is unfortunate that a small cluster of cases have been linked to the club. However, it is just that … unfortunate. The club did nothing incorrectly to create this small cluster.

The club’s board of directors voluntarily closed the Club on Saturday, November 7, in an effort to stop any potential spread of this terrible virus. It is equally unfortunate that the club was specifically named when so many other businesses and organizations that have seen similar, if not greater, outbreaks have remained anonymous.

“While it is important to inform people of where these cases are in order to provide them with the tools they need to protect themselves, specifically naming one club while allowing other businesses to remain anonymous only incites fear and negative public sentiment. Most businesses are struggling with the loss of revenue and the increased expenses this pandemic has forced. Identifying one, while allowing others to remain anonymous, is dangerous and detrimental to the recovery efforts of the named business.

“The Fredonia Beaver Club has a rich history of 83 years of service to the northern Chautauqua community. It is through the efforts of a diligent board of volunteers that the club will sustain through this difficult time; and continue to provide a social retreat for its members and financially support deserving projects in the community. The Board of Directors of the Fredonia Beaver Club wants all of its members in the community to know that we have been, and will continue, to work incredibly hard to continue providing you with a safe club environment.”

In addition to the Beaver Club, other social clubs in the city including The Moniuszko Club, the Dunkirk Falcons Club and First Ward Falcons Club have reportedly faced a number of cases. One officer who called the OBSERVER on Tuesday said the totals were only three at the First Ward Falcons Club and noted that site was “the most preventative of all the social clubs.”

Outbreaks at these organizations, reported by the OBSERVER since Oct. 23, were noted by the county Health Department on Oct. 30. On that date, 17 cases were traced back to Dunkirk sites.

One of those, the Dunkirk Falcons Club, is temporarily closed.

On Tuesday, Chautauqua County announced there are currently eight active cases linked to the Beaver Club in Fredonia. In addition, there have been 20 cases linked to other social clubs; 19 cases have recovered and one case is currently active.

On Tuesday, the county Health Department reported 27 new cases, of which six are in the Fredonia ZIP code, six in Jamestown, three in Dunkirk, three in Silver Creek, two in Falconer, two in Frewsburg and one each in Bemus Point, Cassadaga and Sinclairville. In addition, there are 113 active cases, 15 deaths, 1,086 recovered cases and 1,214 total confirmed cases.

There are also 21 people, as of Sunday, who are hospitalized and have the coronavirus.

In Cattaraugus County, there were nine additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The department’s active positive COVID-19 caseload was 97 with 433 residents who have recovered from COVID-19. In all, there are 549 cases.