Coronavirus: Grocery Store Confirms Several Employees Test Positive

ANDREWS, TX – Porter’s grocery store in Andrews announced Saturday several of their employees have tested positive for coronavirus.

"Our Team Members serve thousands of customers every day, and we knew that it was a matter of when, not if, we would have our first case. We have taken extra precautions to ensure that our stores remain as clean and safe as possible for both our customers and Team Members, but we know that this virus is persistent and very contagious, said Porter’s in a statement. “Our Team will continue to operate in the best way possible and will take every precaution necessary to ensure that our customers have a safe place to shop during this critical time.”

According to CBS7, after the Andrews Health Department reported they had five news cases on Saturday, the grocery store confirmed multiple employees had contracted the disease. It's not clear at this time how many of the cases are Porter's employees.

The first patient in Andrews was identified as a Porter’s employee and the store confirmed the employee left work on Saturday, March 28. They also announced that employees who worked closely with that individual were directed to quarantine. 

The company confirmed the cases in a Facebook post and asserted they have “cleaned every inch of the workspace beyond normal levels, using bleach and high-temperature water."

Dear Porter’s Customers,

To continue to be as transparent as possible, we are informing our customers in Andrews, Texas, that the Andrews County Health Department has notified us that we have had additional Team Members test positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We want to clarify that these Team Members are the same ones who were quarantined in response to the first affected Team Member yesterday.
The Andrews County Health Department has quarantined these Team Members. We have taken and will be making more steps to protect both our Team Members and customers during this time. Today, in Andrews, Texas, we received the first shipment of our masks and hand sanitizer that we will begin using immediately. We hope to be receiving these in the remaining stores as soon as possible. Effective immediately, Porter’s will be limiting the number of customers allowed inside of our stores to increase our ability to socially distance and slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

We know that our Team Members are putting themselves at a higher risk by serving our communities. On March 17, 2020, we decided to give all hourly Team Members a temporary $2.00 per hour raise and all salary Team Members a $100.00 per week raise as a token of our gratitude for the efforts they are giving. We hope that all of our Team Members know that they are crucial, and we appreciate them beyond what words can express.

We want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the leadership and care that the Andrews County Health Department and our City and County Governments have shown during this time. Porter’s asks that our customers stay home unless it is necessary. If you do need to get out for groceries, we ask that you would send only one member of your household to shop for these needs.

We ask that our customers would continue to pray for our Team Members, both those who have tested positive and those who are still working to ensure the community of Andrews has a local place to get their essentials.

Thank you for your support, patience, and kindness during these challenging times.

Sincerely,

The Porter's Team