Two have virus at Trader Joe’s sites

At least two Trader Joe’s employees at different San Francisco locations have tested positive for the coronavirus, The Chronicle has learned.

An employee at the grocery store’s Nob Hill location tested positive for the coronavirus, according to an email sent to workers April 28 — the day management received notification of the diagnosis. The employee last worked at the store on April 10.

“We can’t disclose the details, identity or the medical situation, but the individual is doing fine,” the email said.

Another employee at Trader Joe’s Ninth Street location in South of Market tested positive on Sunday. The person last worked at the store on Friday, and after learning of the diagnosis, Trader Joe’s closed the store for a thorough, overnight deep cleaning, the company said. The SoMa location reopened for business Monday morning.

But the Nob Hill location did not close for a day to undergo additional cleaning, and that has some workers concerned for their safety.

“It’s scary and very stressful going to work knowing one of our coworkers contracted the

virus,” an employee at the Nob Hill location, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job, told The Chronicle. “There are over a 100 employees at this store and it’s concerning. I feel like they (Trader Joe’s) should be doing more.” The Chronicle agreed to grant anonymity to the employee in accordance with its policy on anonymous sources.

Deemed an essential business, grocery stores have been open during the coronavirus pandemic and remain one of the few places people still gather in groups, though protocols are in place to prevent overcrowding, like 6foot checkout intervals and allowing only a certain number of shoppers in a store at a time. Grocery workers have risked exposure to the virus while working — at least 30 grocery workers have died across the country, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents 1.3 million grocery store employees.

“The crew member that tested positive has not worked at the store (in Nob Hill) since April 10. We have kept up with daily rigorous cleaning there and close a store if the employee is still working at the location,” said Kenya FriendDaniel, a spokeswoman for privately held Trader Joe’s.

The Nob Hill worker who tested positive has since moved to Southern California, and is still employed by Trader Joe’s, FriendDaniel said. The store the person now works in, closed for a day for deep cleaning on April 28, when the company was notified of the diagnosis. She declined to disclose additional details of the location, citing privacy and safety concerns for the worker.

Trader Joe’s conducts screenings of its employees for potential exposure to the coronavirus and for symptoms of COVID19 before every shift. It provides masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and other personal protective equipment to its employees and has installed Plexiglas barriers for its cashiers, among other measures. The company said it increased the frequency of cleanings, paying close attention to highcontact areas such as restrooms, checkout areas, grocery carts and hand baskets. It’s also given a temporary $2 per hour wage increase to all of its workers.

Trader Joe’s said it follows advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has issued cleaning guidelines for community facilities that have had people with suspected or confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

All Trader Joe’s stores were open on Monday. The company said it notifies the public if a store is closed because of a coronavirus case on its website and posts a physical notification on the door of the store that’s affected.