Two Kroger workers — one in Harrison, the other in Middletown — were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday. The stores where they worked remained open that afternoon, and a corporate spokesperson wrote both locations were “safe for both customers and associates.”
According to Kroger spokesperson Erin Rolfes, the positive result of the Middletown employee’s test arrived shortly before noon. She declined to provide any other information about either worker, including the departments in which they worked, to protect their privacy.
“We are supporting them and wish them all the best in their recovery,” Rofles wrote. “Upon learning of this case, we followed all sanitation and cleaning procedures as recommended by the CDC, communicated with and supported our store team.”
Both stores have been cleaned since the diagnoses. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the virus is unlikely to spread through packaging.
Ralph Dwyer, a customer at the Middletown store, said the pandemic hasn’t discouraged him from buying groceries in person. The only adjustment he’s made has been to shift his shopping hours so he doesn’t meet as many crowds.
“You can pass somebody on the street and they may be carrying the virus and don't even know they've got it,” he said. “So what precautions can you take from that? At least here, I know they're cleaning."
