PSA: Positive COVID-19 Case

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.