Chelsea Trader Joe's Is 3rd In NYC Closed For Coronavirus Case

CHELSEA, MANHATTAN — The Trader Joe's on Sixth Avenue became the third location of the grocery store in Lower Manhattan to close this week after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus, according to the store.

The 675 Sixth Ave. outpost in Chelsea was added to a list Thursday of seven Trader Joe's locations in the country, three in New York City, that closed this week for either a crew member that tested positive for COVID-19 or is receiving treatment for a suspected case, the store said.

The Union Square location on East 14th Street, the SoHo outpost and the Chelsea location all had one or more crew members that tested positive for the virus, the store said.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed the store for thorough cleaning and sanitization," Trader Joe's said in an announcement on their website.

The Chelsea and the SoHo store both had multiple staff members test positive for coronavirus. At both stores, staff who tested positive were most recently at the store on March 17.

The staff member from the Union Square Trader Joe's was last in the store on Sunday, the company said.

All three locations were still closed Thursday and a Trader Joe's spokesperson did not respond to questions about when they would reopen, although the date to reopen other closed stores were posted online when they became available.

The next closest Trader Joe's are in the East Village at 436 East 14th St or Murray Hill at 200 East 32nd St.

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Trader Joe's advised customers who visited the store over the 14-day period ending on the day the staff member with coronavirus was last in the store, and have health-related concerns, to contact the New York State Department of Health Novel Coronavirus Hotline at (888) 364-3065.

The four other stores closed because of possible employee cases were in Long Island, Maryland and New Jersey.

The closure comes as New Yorkers flock to many of the city's grocery stores to buy up supplies as they follow Gov. Andrew Cuomo's stay-at-home order. Grocery stores are one of several essential services that Cuomo allowed to stay open as all other businesses are asked to work from home or shut down.

More than 20,000 New York City residents had the coronavirus as of Wednesday evening, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Trader Joe's staff said they will continue to pay crew members at closed locations even during the temporary closures. They did not immediately respond to a request for more information about when the store will reopen.

"We are connecting with all Crew Members at the respective locations, encouraging anyone who may have been in contact to follow CDC-recommended self-monitoring guidelines and to call their healthcare providers right away if they develop any symptoms," the store said.

"...As soon as the store has been fully cleaned and restocked, we plan to reopen. As we continue to respond to this rapidly evolving situation, our focus remains on doing whatever is necessary to safeguard the health and safety of our Crew Members and customers and best support our communities.