(Editor’s note: I received the following email around 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 27. I have contacted the store to see if they can provide more information about the employee and how they may have interacted with community members—once I receive a reply, I will update the story.)
Dear Gelson’s Community,
We would like to notify our customers that we are temporarily closing the Pacific Palisades location, located at 15424 Sunset Blvd., due to the unfortunate circumstance that one of our team members has tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee last worked at the store on March 22 and is currently recovering at home. To keep everyone safe and protected as this pandemic grows, we are taking precautionary measures for cleaning and sanitization related to coronavirus (COVID-19).
As soon as the store has been fully sanitized and inspected, we plan to reopen and continue providing our community with the highest level of customer service and accessible products at all times.
We are alerting all Gelson’s employees at the location, encouraging anyone who may have been in contact with the affected team member to follow CDC-recommended self-monitoring guidelines and to call their healthcare providers right away if they develop any symptoms.
Those team members that were in direct contact with the employee will be paid for a 14-day self-quarantine. While the store is closed, Gelson’s will be paying all associates any scheduled shifts which are canceled. As soon as the store has been fully cleaned we plan to reopen. At this point, we expect the store to reopen on Saturday, March 28.
We are working closely with local health officials to take all necessary measures and provide customers with information needed to make an informed decision regarding their health and safety.
We encourage shoppers who have health-related concerns to review CDC and local health department guidelines and to contact their healthcare providers with any questions. As a reminder, all Gelson’s locations are open for seniors only from 7 to 8 a.m., to help protect the vulnerable members of our community.