BOLTON HILL, Md. — For 24 hour customers who frequent Save-a-Lot on McMechen Street were left wondering why their grocery store shut down.
The only explanation was a message posted to the front door saying:
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are currently closed. We are working to reopen as soon as we are able. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please visit one of our two other locations at Pennsylvania Ave or Maryland Ave."
WMAR-2 News reached out to corporate who confirmed an employee at the location tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement to WMAR-2 News Save-a-Lot said:
"At Save A Lot, the health and wellness of our customers, our team members and our communities is our top priority. We can confirm that our store on McMechen Street was closed due to one positive case of COVID-19. After learning of this case, we reached out to both the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Department of Health and have been following their guidance on cleaning and sanitation, which is consistent with the company’s own policies and CDC guidelines. With the support of the local health department, the McMechen Street store is reopening this afternoon following an extensive cleaning regime in line with recommendations."
The store reopened at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
It's unclear if the employee was a cashier or not. WMAR-2 News inquired as the store only operates a single checkout lane and that individual would have had high contact with customers.
According to Save-a-Lot the the infected employee worked their last shift over a week ago and has been home in quarantine.
Save-a-Lot issues a secondary statement late Thursday adding:
“We provide our employees with access to healthcare resources and a quarantine pay program that enables them to stay home if they are sick or have been potentially exposed to the virus. At this time, we can confirm that our other team members are not experiencing any symptoms. As part of our safety and sanitization protocols, we conduct daily wellness checks in our stores and ask team members to self-report any potential symptoms before each shift. The health and well being of our customers and our team members has always been and continues to remain our first priority.”
Anyone concerned they may have come in contact with the employee in question is urged to see their primary care physician and request a COVID-19 test.
