Market Basket Distribution Center employee tests positive for COVID-19, workers in fear of going to work

ANDOVER, Mass. — A worker from the Market Basket Distribution Center in Andover has tested positive for the COVID-19. This comes after State Representative Seth Moulton demands more needs to be done for grocery store employees.

Boston 25 News Reporter Malini Basu spoke with a man who tells us his brother tested positive at a nearby food distribution center.

A spokesperson from Market Basket said employees were afraid to come into work this morning at the facility, after learning about the person who tested positive for COVID-19.

Basu spoke to the man through a phone interview who says his brother “went to work on Friday, and wasn’t feeling that well. He had a fever, was feeling light-headed. He talked to the boss and let him go home.”

The man, who wants to remain anonymous, says his brother who is in his mid-30s tested positive for the virus Friday morning. He says his brother helps load and unload trucks at a nearby food distribution center.

“Stressed out, doesn’t know what more to expect from this. How long he is going to have it for? Or how long will he be feeling like this? He wants to get back to work,” said the brother.

At the Andover Market Basket cold storage distribution center where the employee tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson tells us “we have reported it to public health officials and follow their guidance. We have identified his closest contacts at work and sent them home for a 14-day quarantine as well, and are bringing in a specialized cleaning crew to clean and disinfect the warehouse”.

“I’m kinda worried, it’s my brother, he’s sick. When it hits one of your family members at home, it hits pretty hard. I can’t even imagine what’s going on in his head,” said the employee’s brother.

Representative Moulton is calling for more protection for grocery store employees during the pandemic. This comes after the death of 59-year-old Vitalina Williams who worked at the Market Basket in Salem. Moulton says Governor Baker would be making them eligible for priority COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment, like masks and gloves, under the defense production act.

>> Moulton says grocery store workers should receive emergency personnel designation

“You got to protect your employees. You are requiring them to come to work. The employees should require you to give them the tools to protect themselves,” said the employee’s brother.

The brother says he can’t get any answers from his employer and what he should do next. He goes onto say, his brother has to work to support his four young children so he can put food on the table.

>> Related: Restaurants call for changes to PPP restrictions, timeline

Here is the full statement from Market Basket:

"An associate who works at the Market Basket Cold Storage Distribution Center informed us that he tested positive for COVID-19. As part of our protocol, the associate will not return to work until fully recovered.

“We hope for his swift recovery,” said Justine Griffin, spokesperson for Market Basket. “Most supermarket companies operating at this time are faced with these challenges. We have taken the same steps in each case, as we did here. We have reported it to public health officials and follow their guidance. We have identified his closest contacts at work and sent them home for a 14-day quarantine as well, and are bringing in a specialized cleaning crew to clean and disinfect the warehouse.”

Griffin continued: “We understand that some of our associates were afraid to come into the warehouse this morning. We consider it our responsibility to continue to take the aggressive steps necessary to protect our associates and also to make sure they understand the precautions they need to take to best protect themselves.”

Market Basket’s COVID-19 Response

Market Basket has been constantly refining our operations focused on the health and safety of our customers and associates. “We listen to the wide range of input we receive on a daily basis – from our customers and our associates and from the governors and public health experts who have all described the next several weeks as critical for the health of the residents in our region. The steps that we have taken include:

• On Thursday, April 2, we began limiting the number of shoppers in our stores at one time to ensure that our customers and associates have personal space, can maintain social distancing, and feel more comfortable. The limits that we have set are consistent with and actually below the updated guidelines that the Governor issued on 04.07.2020. Our customers have been terrific in helping us successfully implement this policy. We have also adopted other elements of the new regulations including one-way aisles.
• For the protection of associates, we are closely monitoring the public health recommendations and have continually made refinements and added elements. We have made gloves available to associates. In response to the new guidance on masks that was given this weekend, we are deploying masks for associates who did not already have their own and are working diligently to source a continued supply of this hard-to-secure item. Additionally, we are installing plexiglass shields at checkouts. We also give guidance to associates to ensure that they are practicing good hygiene including washing their hands frequently and only coming to work in good health.
• The company has implemented a heightened disinfection program focusing on high-touch surfaces including cash registers, countertops, register belts, red baskets, shopping carriages, payment devices, touchpads, desks, door and drawer handles, phones, and computers.
• All stores have a disinfection protocol at the store entrance with associates assisting in wiping down all the shopping carts and baskets.

RESOURCES:

- Massachusetts Coronavirus Information

- Boston Coronavirus Information

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