After 2 Coronavirus Deaths, Evergreen Park Walmart On Watch

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Walmart’s liquor license has been reinstated after it was suspended late Friday by Mayor Jim Sexton when the retailer confirmed that two employees who worked at the Evergreen Park store died of coronavirus.

“We have a very good meeting [Saturday] morning with the corporate people,” Sexton said. “We believe Walmart has taken good corrective action.”

>>> 2 Employees At Evergreen Park Walmart Die Of Coronavirus

Family members and an attorney identified the employees who died as Wando Evans, 51, and 48-year-old Phillip Thomas, both from Chicago. Evans died March 25, and Thomas passed away on March 29. Cook County Medical Examiner reports indicated that both men died of COVID-19 infections complicated by other underlying medical conditions. Both worked at the Walmart store at 2500 W. 95th St.

Chicago Ald. Matt O’Shea, whose 19th ward borders Evergreen Park, gave Sexton a heads up when a relative started posting on neighborhood Facebook groups that his cousin, who worked at the Evergreen Park store, had died from coronavirus. Sexton said the retailer confirmed that Thomas and Evans were both employees at the Evergreen Park store.

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“We started to investigate when we heard the rumors,” the mayor said. “I suspended the [Walmart] store’s liquor license on Friday night. We certainly got their attention.”

Walmart's representatives stated that the men had not worked in the store for over a week. The company said it took steps to reinforce cleaning and sanitizing in areas of the store, including bringing in third-party companies for further cleaning. The Evergreen Park store had also apparently passed third-party inspections and a local health inspection.

“It seems like they’re trying to make a bad situation better,” Sexton said. “The store is safe now for workers and shoppers. Everything is going to be changed now.”

The Illinois and Cook County public health departments are also closely monitoring the Evergreen Park store for more reported cases of employees falling ill to coronavirus and sanitation efforts.

“The county and state are watching very closely,” Sexton said. “Our own health department is watching.”

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