An employee at a Massachusetts Stop & Shop store has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
Store officials said Sunday in a statement to NBC10 Boston that an associate at their Norwell store, located at 468 Washington Street, has tested positive for COVID-19.
An extensive cleaning of the entire store and all of its surfaces was done in strict accordance with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health officials, according to the statement.
Stop & Shop, which recently donated $1 million to food banks in the area it covers to help amid the coronavirus crisis, says the associate will not return to work until cleared by public health officials.
The grocery chain said any associates who had been in close contact with the affected associate have been asked to self-quarantine "out of an abundance of caution."
Stop & Shop also said it continues to insist that any employees who feel sick at any time stay home.
"Nothing is more important to us than the health of our customers and associates, and we are continuing to implement extensive measures to help ensure all our stores and facilities are safe," the chain said in its statement. "Grocery stores are seen as an essential service at this time, and our associates are on the front lines going above and beyond to serve our communities."
On Saturday, a man allegedly coughed and spit on produce at a Stop & Shop store in Kingston. The supermarket chain said in a statement that they were aware of the "unfortunate incident" and are cooperating with local law enforcement.
Store officials there discarded potentially affected product and conducted a deep cleaning and sanitizing of all impacted areas. The Kingston store was deemed safe for shoppers after an inspection by the Board of Health.
