H-E-B workers in Brownsville, Harlingen and San Benito have tested positive for coronavirus, according to statements posted by the grocery chain online.
The company posted articles on the individual stores’ websites this week confirming that partners working at the H-E-B on 2250 Boca Chica Blvd. and H-E-B on 2155 Paredes Line Road in Brownsville, H-E-B on 613 S. Expressway 83 and the H-E-B on 1103 Morgan Blvd both, in Harlingen, and the store’s 1095 West Business 77 in San Benito tested positive for the virus.
“All directly affected Partners at the location have been notified and the store has been deep cleaned and sanitized multiple times since then. At our stores, we continue to enforce proper social distancing practices, strict sanitation and require the use of masks or facial covering by all our Partners and vendors in customer facing and close contact positions,” H-E-B wrote in a statement on all store websites.
According to H-E-B, stores are required to post information about positive employee cases and when those employees last worked only on individual store websites.
On Friday, it was reported employees at the Brownsville and Harlingen stores tested positive for the coronavirus.
The employee at the Boca Chica store was last in the store on June 5. The employee at the Paredes Line location was last in the store on June 8. The company said. No other details were provided.
The employee at the San Benito store had last worked at the store on June 6, the grocery chain reported on Thursday. The employees at the Harlingen locations were also last in the store on June 6.
It’s worth noting that the grocery chain and other businesses are unable to require the public to wear masks upon entering storefronts under Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to lift statewide pandemic restrictions, meaning that while employees must protect themselves and others, those efforts might still be inadequate.
“As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, our H-E-B family of more than 120,000 Partners has not gone unaffected. Through early preparation, continuous guidance, strong sanitation, and proper social distancing efforts, we are strongly focused on the health and safety of our Partners and we are grateful that Texas has experienced fewer cases than the national average. We must all work to #SlowTheSpreadTexas. At impacted locations, all directly affected partners are notified and provided medical advice, each location is deep cleaned and sanitized multiple times. Customers can visit their store’s website to see when an affected Partner last worked in their store. Our primary focus is keeping our Partners and customers safe. For the latest on our COVID efforts, visit www.heb.com/newsroom.”
