New leaf grocery store in Aptos closes after seven workers diagnosed with COVID-19
APTOS, Calif. (KION)
UPDATE: 4/23/20 New Leaf Community Market in Aptos is closed after seven employees were diagnosed with COVID-19.
This is the first reported "cluster" of coronavirus cases in Santa Cruz County.
The grocery store announced one employee tested positive on Saturday and temporarily closed the store. New Leaf re-opened the marked, but announced in a statement Wednesday night they are temporarily closing again.
The health department did not require the market to close but New Leaf said, "we chose to do so to work with local medical clinics to test all staff, and support the health and well-being of our community."
County health officer Dr. Gail Newel said, customers had a low chance of contracting the virus.
“In general, a person would need to be within six feet of an unmasked person, or person without face covering, for several minutes or even longer in order to be at any significant risk of getting COVID-19,” Newel said.
New Leaf told KION Thursday afternoon, they will re-open the store when staff has been tested and cleared to return to work.
"We are working closely with the Santa Cruz County Public Health Department and while they have not announced findings of their contact tracing, we believe staff with close contact to affected individuals may have been in the store on Sunday, April 19, and temporarily closed the location for a deep cleaning," New Leaf spokesperson Lindsay Gizdich said.
Newel said in a press conference Thursday, wide-spread testing is still inadequate in our area and New Leaf’s latest cluster is a perfect example.
“New Leaf really wanted to test all of their employees, but because we haven’t validated testing in asymptotic people we thought that wouldn't be a good idea. That’s a demand their employees and their families wanted that we're unable to meet at this time,” Newel said.
New Leaf said they will continue to pay their staff while the store is closed.
The store released a statement on Wednesday night:
At New Leaf Community Markets, the health and safety of our staff and community is our top priority, and we continue to take extra precautions and immediate action whenever necessary as the challenges posed by novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to evolve. At this time, we have made the decision to temporarily close our store in Aptos after learning some members of our staff have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Upon confirming the results, we immediately notified the Santa Cruz County Public Health Department and our store staff. We deeply care about the well-being of those affected, and we continue to stay in touch and offer support as they recover and self-isolate at home, including compensating them for the necessary leave of absence.
We were able to quickly identify any Aptos staff who may have been in prolonged close contact with affected individuals and have required them to stay home, monitor for symptoms, and remain in regular contact with their healthcare providers and the local public health department. We will continue to pay our staff while they are home and will work closely to confirm their health before they return to work. Additionally, we will cover the cost of any necessary COVID-19 testing for staff members.
While health authorities have not required us to close the store, we chose to do so to work with local medical clinics to test all staff, and support the health and well-being of our community.