9/20/21


To Our Owners & Community,

In the interest of transparency, we want to inform you that we have learned that one of our staff members has tested positive for COVID-19. This is only our second COVID case since the start of the pandemic.

The employee last worked at the co-op on Saturday, September 18. They have experienced no symptoms at all. The person works in administration and has limited contact with the public. They wore a face mask while working.

We have informed all of our other employees and encouraged them to seek testing. Our co-op has a generous sick leave and vacation policy, and we will work with staff members on a case-by-case basis to ensure that they have the support they need. As part of our standard policy, we ask that any staff exhibiting any symptoms of respiratory illness or fever stay home, contact their supervisor, and notify their physician.

Throughout the pandemic, we have followed recommendations from state, local, and national health authorities. We pride ourselves on our cleanliness and food safety standards, and we are taking multiple steps to serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community. For example, we sanitize and disinfect high-touch areas (e.g., freezer door handles, bathrooms, bulk food bins, shopping carts, check stands) frequently throughout the day.

Furthermore:

• We screen all employees for temperature and symptoms before each shift.
• All staff self-monitor and stay or go home if sick.
• We require documentation of a negative COVID-19 test before employees return to work after illness.
• We require all employees and shoppers to wear cloth face coverings at all times while in the store. The only exception is for employees who are eating in our break room, and we only allow two people in the break room at any given time.
• We ask all employees to practice social distancing in the store and in other public spaces.

That we have only had two positive COVID-19 cases in more than 16 months – even with more than 300 shoppers in the store almost every day – is proof that these precautions are effective.

If you have any questions about our COVID-19 policies, please contact Rich Rosenberg, General Manager, at gm@coopmarket.org.

Two important updates:

1. Effective Thursday, August 5: Please remember to bring your mask when you shop at the co-op. For the health and safety of our staff and community, we will again require all people over the age of five to wear a cloth or paper mask while in the store.

As always, we are following the guidance of the CDC and local health authorities. With the highly contagious Delta variant on the rise, CDC now recommends that all people — including those who are fully vaccinated — wear masks while indoors in public.

If you are uncomfortable wearing a mask, we’ll shop for you! Please use our Curbside Grocery Pickup service.
We appreciate your kindness. Wearing your mask helps keep our staff safe so we can remain open and continue to provide good, healthy food for our community.

2. Effective Monday, August 9: Due to a critical staff shortage, we will be forced to shorten our store hours. Starting next week, we will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday thru Sunday.

We apologize for the inconvenience, especially to those of you who prefer to shop early to avoid our busiest hours. Unfortunately, we simply don’t have enough people to stock groceries and staff the registers at this time.
We are hiring, so please send any job seekers you know our way.

A list of open positions and an application are available on our website. Amber, our HR specialist, will be available from 1 to 3 p.m. every Thursday in August for on-the-spot preliminary interviews. Drop by with your resume and bring two professional references.

Thank you so much for your support as we navigate these tough times together.

We are aware of the CDC’s recent announcement that fully vaccinated people can resume most regular activities without masks. This is good news! It shows that the country is moving in the right direction to control COVID-19.

At this time, however, we have decided to continue our mask requirement, without exceptions. To help us keep our staff and shoppers as safe as possible, please continue to wear your face covering and practice social distancing when you shop at Co-op Market.

We understand that everyone is tired of masking up – we are, too! However, the CDC’s announcement applies only to those who are vaccinated, and we have no way of knowing who is vaccinated and who is not. In addition, we know Alaskans would not appreciate having to show proof of vaccination before entering, and we don’t have enough staff to station someone at the door to check.

Even as COVID-19 is slowing down in the rest of the country, Fairbanks continues to be a hot spot, with the second-lowest vaccination rate and second-highest case rate in the state.

We will continue to assess the necessity of masking. We will modify our policy when the CDC and other health organizations determine that it is safe for everyone – not just those who are fully vaccinated – to go without a mask.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about our policy, please feel free to get in touch with our GM, Rich Rosenberg, at gm@coopmarket.org. You can also contact our Board of Directors at board@coopmarket.org.

12/20/20

To Our Owners & Community,

In the interest of transparency, we want to inform you that we have learned that one of our staff members has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This is our first COVID case.

The employee last worked at the co-op on Wednesday, December 16. They sought testing on Thursday after exposure to someone outside the co-op who had tested positive. Our employee received their positive result Saturday and informed us later that day. They never exhibited symptoms while at work.

This employee works in the grocery department receiving and stocking freight and has moderate contact with the public. They wore a facemask at all times while working and did not have prolonged close exposure to other employees or shoppers. (Prolonged close exposure is more than 15 minutes within six feet of another person.)

Throughout the pandemic, we have followed recommendations from state, local, and national health authorities. We are contacting the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services and will follow any additional guidance.

We have informed all of our other employees and encouraged them to seek testing. Our co-op has a generous sick leave and vacation policy, and we will work with staff members on a case-by-case basis to ensure that they have the support they need. As part of our standard policy, we ask that any staff exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness or fever stay home, contact their supervisor, and notify their physician.

Our co-op prides itself on its cleanliness and food safety standards, and we are taking multiple steps to serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community. We have implemented rigorous daily cleaning practices, including frequently sanitizing and disinfecting the store’s high touch areas (e.g., freezer door handles, bathrooms, and bulk food bins). We disinfect shopping carts after every use and clean check stands regularly throughout the day.

Furthermore:
• We screen all employees for temperature and symptoms before each shift.
• All staff self-monitor throughout the day and stay or go home if sick.
• We require employees and shoppers to wear cloth face coverings at all times while in the store. The only exception is for employees who are eating in our break room. We allow only two people in the break room at any given time.
• We ask all employees to maintain 6-foot social distance from others.

That we have remained COVID-free for 10 months – even with more than 300 shoppers in the store almost every day – is proof that these precautions are effective. We will continue to employ them.

Our primary concern right now is the wellness of this employee, other staff, and our community.

If you have any questions about our COVID-19 policies, please contact Shaun Sims, Interim General Manager.

Thank you for your support as we do everything possible to keep our community safe, healthy, and well fed.