Lacey ShopRite Employee Test Positive For Coronavirus

LACEY, NJ — An employee at ShopRite in Lacey tested positive for the new coronavirus, the store announced Sunday. The shop has taken the associate out of the workplace and notified all employees who may have had close contact with him or her.

No other information about the employee was immediately available, including the last day he or she worked. Patch will update the story with any response from a ShopRite spokesperson about the last day the employee worked at the store.

During the pandemic, ShopRite has implemented daily deep-cleaning procedures, including sanitizing frequently touched surfaces throughout stores. The grocery shops have also promoted social distancing, placed plexiglass shields between employees and customers and ensured employees wear face coverings.

Governor Phil Murphy ordered earlier this month that all essential businesses require face masks. Read more: NJ Shoppers Must Wear Masks: Where To Get Them, How It's Enforced

NJ.com reported April 9 that employees working in at least 42 different ShopRites in the state have been sickened by the coronavirus.

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Despite extra protections throughout the industry, exposure to the coronavirus among grocery employees has been an issue throughout the pandemic. More than 30 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union — a union representing more than one million in the United State and Canada in industries such as retail and meatpacking — has reported at least 30 grocery-store workers in its organization have died from the virus.

The Ocean County Health Department has reported 144 coronavirus cases and five deaths in Lacey as of Sunday afternoon.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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