Two employees of the Shaw’s supermarket in Sanford have tested positive for COVID-19.

One of the employees last worked Sept. 6, is receiving medical care and is in quarantine at home, according to a statement from Andrew Whelan, senior director of corporate communications for Albertsons, Shaw’s parent company.

The other employee last worked on Aug. 24 and has left the company.

Other employees may be asked to self-quarantine, the statement says. If they do, they will be eligible for up to 14 days’ quarantine pay.

Sanford has seen four recent outbreaks of COVID-19, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. On Thursday, the Sanford City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance requiring people to wear face coverings in all public settings where social distancing is not possible and in restaurants, bars, tasting rooms and lodging operations.

Shaw’s Sanford store will remain open. Employees have been reminded to follow precautions including regular handwashing, practicing social distancing, and disinfecting check-out stands every hour, according to the company. All frontline employees have been given reusable masks and are required to wear them. Shoppers are also required to wear masks.

In addition to routine cleaning and disinfecting, Shaw’s conducts health screenings of its employees daily, the company said, and anyone reporting flu-like symptoms or who comes in close contact with a person who has tested positive is not allowed to work until the symptoms resolve or the contact is evaluated by the company’s crisis response team.


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