Early speculation attributed spikes in COVID-19 across the nation to protests, Memorial day celebrations, and the economy reopening. However, in Provo and the greater Utah Valley area, contact tracing has lead authorities to a single Sodalicous store. 

In an interview with Sodalicous employee Randy Harman, which was conducted from six-feet away, he said that most of the patrons that day were not wearing masks. He added, “I didn’t think much of it, plenty of people don’t wear masks, for all I know they have a health condition.” 

Harman also noted that it is difficult to enforce the rules of staying six-feet apart when the store is particularly busy.

The store was not all that busy when the economy first reopened several weeks ago. However, after a local influencer posted a picture drinking an “I Love Lucy,” the location had its busiest day since the pandemic started.

The “patient zero” for this spike, a 19-year-old woman, was one of the customers who visited Sodalicious after seeing the Instagram post, but was disappointed when she “couldn’t even taste her drink.”

Despite the recent spike and the infected employees, business in the store is booming as customers “need their caffeine fix.”