Hoboken Kings Supermarket Says Employee Had Coronavirus

HOBOKEN, NJ — The Kings supermarket chain sent a notice on Saturday evening to Hoboken customers saying that an employee of the uptown supermarket, or Hoboken North, had tested positive for coronavirus. A representative for the store — one of two small Kings supermarkets in Hoboken — said the employee's last day there was April 23.

"On May 9, 2020, we were notified that an individual working in the Hoboken North store tested positive for COVID-19," said a note emailed to customers. "We immediately enacted our Emergency COVID-19 Coronavirus Response Protocol and through this process no other associates were identified in prolonged close contact. In addition to our daily enhanced sanitation protocols as prescribed by the FDA, the store is being thoroughly disinfected by outside professionals. The store remains open for business."

The note went on to say, "We’re respecting HIPAA privacy laws by keeping additional specifics of our associate’s case confidential. As you know, we’re a small company and the safety and privacy of our associates, many of whom have been with us for more than 20 years, is paramount."

They noted, "We appreciate that this is very stressful news, which is why I am sharing it with you directly. As you know, we’re doing everything we can at store level to protect you. Below are some important updates based on the expert guidance to keep in mind as we work through this together."

The note specified safety measures:

<blockquote>

• MASKS & GLOVES: All Associates are required to wear protective face coverings and gloves. In accordance with an Executive Order from the Governor as well as local municipalities, all guests are also required to wear masks while in store.

• LIMITING STORE OCCUPANCY TO 30 percent: We are limiting the number of customers permitted in the store at one time to 30 percent of the store’s normal maximum capacity.

• ONE PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD: We’re now asking all of you to limit the number of people who enter the store at one time, to one person per household, whenever possible.

• SOCIAL DISTANCING SAVES LIVES: We’ve added visual reminders to the floors, so that you will stand six feet away from each other and follow the new one-way aisle arrows. Keep an eye out for these.

• PLEXI GLASS SHIELDS: We’ve installed Plexi Shields at all registers and customer service desks in all stores.

• NOT FOODBORNE: Guidance from the FDA is unequivocal: “There is currently no evidence to support that the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus can be transmitted to humans through food or food packaging materials.” (www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19)

Please be assured that I am confident that our safety protocols are being executed as the experts advise. We can’t thank you enough for all the kindness and patience you’ve shown our Associates during this very stressful time.

Please visit our FAQs page for all the latest updates on our COVID-19 policies and protocols.

All my best, Judy Spires, CEO, Kings Food Markets</blockquote>

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla had announced on Friday night that the city had suffered the loss of two more community members due to coronavirus in the last few days. Before that, the last report of local lives lost to the illness was on April 30.

Twenty-five Hoboken residents have now passed away due to the virus.

Gov. Phil Murphy in his daily press conference on Thursday that the state's death toll from the virus had climbed to 8,801. A week ago Thursday, 460 New Jerseyans had been lost to the virus in 24 hours, an all-time high rate, or one person every three minutes. By Tuesday afternoon, the governor said there had been 334 deaths since the previous day, and the number has slowly been declining again.

Rapid testing and antibody tests

Bhalla said that people interested in getting a rapid test for the virus should call the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hotline at City Hall at 201-420-5621 Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Residents with and without symptoms can get the test at Riverside’s testing site and receive a result in 15 minutes, he said.

The city will soon release information about antibody testing for the public, Bhalla said. On Friday, the city tested approximately 260 first responders and frontline workers. Twenty-five, or slightly fewer than 10 percent, tested positive for IgG, which means that the individuals had coronavirus at some previous point.

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