Two employees at the Giant Food Store off the Newtown Bypass have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Giant Company, which operates hundreds of food stores, said they were informed on Friday that one employee had tested positive. On Saturday, they learned a second had tested positive. Both work at the store at Summit Square in Middletown near the Newtown Township border.
The employee that tested positive on Friday had not been in work since Thursday, April 2. The second employee, who tested positive on Saturday, had not been in work since Saturday, April 4.
The employees were both at home dealing with the virus as of Sunday, the company said.
Employees at the Redner’s Market in Middletown, Target in Middletown, and the Bristol Selecto Supermarket in Bristol Borough have previously tested positive for COVID-19. Other local retailers that remain open under the governor’s stay-at-home order have also had positive cases, but food retailers raise the most concern for many.
“Upon notification, additional and thorough cleaning and sanitation was executed. The location closed at its normal time to continue strict sanitation protocols and the store remains open,” The Giant Company said in a statement.
Store employees who LevittownNow.com spoke with said they felt The Giant Company should have been more upfront with them about the cases. One even noted it should not have taken a reporter asking for the company to make the cases public.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has provided guidance to grocery stores on how to best protect their workforce and shoppers, including through social distancing measures and adding special hours for vulnerable populations.
Since mid-March, Giant Food Stores have implemented social distancing measures, added protective barriers to checkout stations, and will limit the number of customers in the store at one time starting Monday.
Earlier this month, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Food Safety Director Jeff Warner said the state had “no evidence of COVID-19 being transmissible through food or food packaging.”
