Fairfield Trader Joe's To Reopen After Coronavirus Diagnosis

FAIRFIELD, CT — Trader Joe’s is set to reopen its Fairfield location Saturday after the store was temporarily closed for cleaning because a worker was diagnosed with the new coronavirus.

The employee with the virus, also called COVID-19, was last at the store Tuesday, Trader Joe’s said earlier in the week in a statement on its website.

“We’ve worked closely with local and state officials and have met and exceeded all safety recommendations,” Trader Joe’s Public Relations Director Kenya Friend-Daniel said in an email. “We have also talked to all crew members at the location and made sure they understand the steps to take to monitor and best safeguard their health.”

Crew members at the Fairfield store will be paid for their scheduled shifts from during the closure, according to the grocery chain, which announced last month it is providing up to two weeks of additional paid sick time to crew members with symptoms.

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As of Friday, a Trader Joe’s in Hewlett, New York, was closed after a worker reported COVID-19 symptoms and a store in Madison, Wisconsin, was closed because an employee tested positive for the virus.

COVID-19 has spread rapidly in Connecticut. Statewide, there were 4,914 confirmed new coronavirus cases as of Friday, 131 of which were fatal and 2,716 of which were in Fairfield County, according to state data.

Any customers of the Fairfield Trader Joe’s who have concerns or symptoms are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider, Friend-Daniel said.

“We only reopen stores when we feel it is safe to do so,” she said.

Trader Joe’s is located at 2258 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield. Like many stores, Trader Joe’s has altered its hours due to the new coronavirus outbreak. The Fairfield store is open 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily specifically for customers who are older than 60 or have disabilities. The location closes at 7 p.m.