Sarasota-Manatee Publix and Whole Foods employees test positive for COVID-19 – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Positive cases have emerged up at 12 Sarasota-Manatee Publix stores within the past 14 days. See a list of the stores affected.

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Employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at 12 Publix stores in Sarasota-Manatee within the past two weeks.

Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 at 15 Publix stores in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Cases at 12 of those 15 stores have happened within the past 14 days.

Of those 12 stores, four are in Sarasota, one is on Longboat Key, one is in Nokomis, two are in Bradenton, one is in Parrish and three are in Venice, including the store in the West Villages.

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The three stores where employees have tested positive, but not within the past 14 days, are the Broadway Promenade store at 1044 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, the Shops at Silver Leaf at 11245 US Highway 301 N in Parrish, and Lockwood Commons at 4240 53rd Ave. E in Bradenton.

Like other essential service providers, we have seen our own associates and their families personally impacted by COVID-19, Brous said. Unfortunately, as public health officials have indicated, we expect to see an increase in cases as the virus spreads in our communities.

In late April, there was just one confirmed positive case at a Publix store in Sarasota-Manatee at the Venice Village Shoppes store at Tamiami Trail and Jacaranda Boulevard in Venice.

The Sarasota-Manatee Publix stores where employees have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past two weeks are:

Sarasota Commons, 935 N. Beneva Road, Sarasota.

Centergate Village, 5804 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota.

Venice Village Shoppes, 4173 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice.

Twelve Oaks Plaza, 7290 55th Ave. E., Bradenton.

Venice Shopping Center, 535 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice.

Beachway Plaza, 7310 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Parkwood Square, 9005 U.S. Highway 301 N., Parrish.

Publix at Bay Street, 2031 Bay St., Sarasota.

Nokomis Village, 1091 N. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis.

Shoppes of Bay Isles, 525 Bay Isles Parkway, Longboat Key.

Beneva Village Shoppes, 3428 Clark Road, Sarasota.

West Village Marketplace, 12165 Mercado Drive, Venice.

Sarasota County has had 2,548 people test positive for COVID-19. There have been 235 hospitalizations and 100 deaths, according to Florida Department of Health data Friday.

Manatee County has had 4,432 people test positive. It has also had 332 hospitalizations and 138 deaths.

Publix gives 14 days paid leave to any employee who tests positive for COVID-19. Workers who were in close contact with the sick employee are notified, quarantined and also given up to 14 days of paid leave, Brous said.

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While on the job, associates are required to wear face coverings, and theres a heightened disinfection program focusing on frequently touched surfaces like touchpads, door and drawer handles, phones and computers.

Social distancing is also encouraged at Publix. One-way shopping aisles have been put in place, and six-foot distances are marked at registers. Plexiglass has also been installed at checkout counters.

We are proud of how our dedicated associates are taking care of our customers and each other through this unprecedented and challenging time, Brous said. And, we thank our customers for continuing to trust us with providing them with the goods and services they need.

Whole Foods Market has also confirmed that employees at its downtown Sarasota store have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Austin, Texas-based grocery chain did not disclose how many employees have tested positive or when but it did say that there have been confirmed cases.

Anytime there is a presumed or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in any Whole Foods store, a set plan is activated involving comprehensive cleaning, contact tracing and a formal notification processes for those working in the stores, according to the company.

The safety of our team members and customers is our top priority, and we are diligently following all guidance from local healthand food safety authorities. Weve been working closely with our store team membersand are supporting the diagnosed team members who are in quarantine, the company said in a statement. Out of an abundance of caution, the store has performed a professional deep cleaning and disinfection, on top of our current enhanced sanitation measures.

Employees placed into quarantine receive up to an additional two weeks of paid time off.

Like Publix, Whole Foods stores also have social distancing and crowd control procedures in place.

There are also required temperature checks and face masks for employees, daily cleanliness procedures and disinfection protocols and plexiglass barriers at checkout.

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Sarasota-Manatee Publix and Whole Foods employees test positive for COVID-19 - Sarasota Herald-Tribune