A Trader Joe's Employee With Underlying Health Conditions Has Died Of Coronavirus, The Company Confirms

Photo credit: Bill Tompkins - Getty Images
Photo credit: Bill Tompkins - Getty Images

From Delish

The news around the COVID-19 outbreak is constantly changing, but information about food safety and how to keep yourself healthy is crucial right now. Here is a comprehensive list on the foods you should be stocking up on during this period of social distancing, as well as information about your local grocery stores’ changing hours, an explanation of “no-contact delivery,” and a guide on how to help your community and its businesses throughout closures.

An employee at a Scarsdale, NY, Trader Joe's outpost died of COVID-19 on Monday morning, April 6, a spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post. The team member had unspecified underlying health conditions.

Trader Joe's rep Kenya Friend-Daniel told the paper the store where the employee worked (which is in the coronavirus hotspot of Westchester County) would be closed until Thursday so fellow employees could have "time to process and grieve." Workers will be paid through the closures and will be offered an additional two days of paid bereavement leave.

While this is the first reported case of a Trader Joe's employee dying due to coronavirus, Eater notes a few of their stores have been closed for extra cleaning and sanitization after other employees seemingly displayed symptoms of the disease. As of last week, at least eight TJ's outposts had been temporarily closed due to COVID-19 concerns. The company continues to update this list of supermarket closures in real time so you can know if anything has changed at your preferred location.

Trader Joe's is not the first supermarket chain to see an employee die in recent weeks. Wando Evans, a Chicago-area Walmart employee of 15 years, died in late March after displaying symptoms. Per Forbes, Evans contracted the virus while at work and his family is now suing Walmart. Phillip Thomas, an employee at the same store, died just days later after exhibiting similar symptoms. In a statement, the big box retailer told Forbes it was "heartbroken [and] mourning along with their families."

You Might Also Like