LI Trader Joe's store closes; worker treated for suspected case of virus
The affected Trader Joe's locations will be cleaned and restocked, the company said. Credit: Bloomberg/David Paul Morris
Trader Joe’s temporarily closed five of its grocery stores, including one in Plainview, because employees tested positive for the coronavirus or are receiving medical attention for suspected cases of the disease.
“We would like to notify our customers that we are temporarily closing the following stores for precautionary cleaning and sanitization related to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. As soon as the store has been fully cleaned and restocked, we plan to reopen,” the Monrovia, California-based retailer said in a statement Monday.
An employee from the Plainview store, located at 425 South Oyster Bay Road, is receiving medical attention for a suspected case of COVID-19, Trader Joe’s said in the statement. The worker was last in the store Saturday.
The other closed Trader Joe’s stores are in Union Square and Soho in Manhattan; Millburn, New Jersey; and Elkridge, Maryland.
During the closings, Trader Joe’s will pay all employees for their scheduled work shifts, the company said.
The retailer is encouraging customers who have health-related concerns to view guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their local health departments, and to contact their healthcare providers.
Trader Joe’s did not immediately respond to inquiries about when the stores closed and how many employees work at the closed locations.
Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.
