MoCo Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Liquor Store Closes

BETHESDA, MD — The Hampden Lane Liquor & Wine in Bethesda is temporarily closed after a county employee tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials announced on Friday.

The individual, who was only identified as a Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) employee, didn't feel well on Wednesday, March 25 and was sent home. The employee subsequently tested positive for the virus.

Hampden Lane Liquor & Wine, located at 4920 Hampden Lane, is owned by ABS.

Public health officials are advising anyone who visited the store on March 23 or 24 to monitor their temperature and watch for respiratory symptoms.

"If you have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, or respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, contact your health care provider," ABS said in a statement.

The liquor store has temporarily shuttered its doors for sanitizing and deep cleaning, which will take place Saturday morning.

"The safety of our customers and employees is very important to us," said Kent Massie, chief of retail for ABS. "We are temporarily closing the store to thoroughly disinfect it and have asked all our staff who have come into contact with this employee to voluntarily self-quarantine and monitor for fever and respiratory symptoms."

ABS says county officials are in the process of installing plexiglass to create a barrier between consumers and staff at the register. Signage reminding customers to follow social distancing rules was posted in each store last week.

As of Friday evening, Maryland had 774 confirmed cases of the coronavirus — 208 of which were in Montgomery County.