Dive Brief:

• Employees working at more than two dozen different ShopRite locations in New Jersey have tested positive for COVID-19, according to local reports. These locations include Clark, Fair Lawn, East Windsor, Flemington, Garwood, Manchester, Oakland, Toms River and Wayne. 
• All employees that are sick are no longer working and any employees that came in contact with the ill employee must also quarantine for two weeks, ShopRite noted in updates posted to social media. The company said it has also deep cleaned spaces used by the employees who tested positive along with store common areas.
• Workers at several retailers, including Meijer, H-E-B, Wegmans, Publix, Kroger and Walmart have contracted the virus in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a Trader Joe’s employee, a Giant store greeter and two Walmart employees from the same store have died from COVID-19. 

Dive Insight:

The increase in grocery workers testing positive for COVID-19 underscores the risks these individuals face in their day-to-day jobs. It also highlights the difficult road grocers face as they try to reassure employees and customers that their stores and other facilities are safe.

In announcements posted on the Facebook pages of each affected store, ShopRite said it notified all workers as soon as it learned one of their colleagues had tested positive for the virus. It then instituted deep-cleaning procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. 

The company, like many other retailers, has also installed plexiglass shields at its checkout counters, provided masks and gloves for employees, limited the number of shoppers it allows in the store and reduced activity at its service counters.

Across the U.S., workers are being told to stay home if they don't feel well, and retailers are increasingly mandating temperature checks before they clock in. But detecting who has the virus and who doesn't can be tricky, since individuals can be asymptomatic for a week or more before feeling sick, and as many as a quarter of those infected may never exhibit symptoms, according to the CDC. 

To show their appreciation as well as keep workers motivated, retailers are providing temporary boosts to pay and benefits. Wakefern, which owns the ShopRite brand and operates 28 stores, has increased hourly pay by $2 and said it has enhanced its sick leave and attendance policies. 

At the same time, in order to keep up with the increase in demand in stores and online, grocers are on a hiring spree. ShopRite said it seeks to fill hundreds of positions, while competitors like Amazon, Kroger and Albertsons have added thousands of new employees, including many laid off or furloughed from struggling sectors like hospitality and restaurants. Instacart plans to hire 300,000 more shoppers and Walmart is adding 150,000 new associates through May.