More Target store workers in Sacramento have tested positive for coronavirus
Multiple workers at the Target store near Sacramento State have tested positive for COVID-19, the company confirmed Tuesday night, just days after confirming infections at another local store last week.
The new string of confirmed infections comes as employees at retail stores and companies — deemed essential workers in the midst of a pandemic — have increasingly raised concerns about their risk of exposure to the virus.
“Multiple team member positive cases” have been reported at the Target just off Highway 50 on 4th Avenue, the company said in a statement released by spokesman Jake Anderson via email.
Target declined to state exactly how many employees were infected, when they were last at work and how recently the infections occurred. The affected employees have since begun quarantining on paid leave, according to the company.
Several staffers at the Target in south Sacramento on Cosumnes River Boulevard have also tested positive for the coronavirus, the company confirmed last week to The Bee.
The company stated that it is providing stores with masks, gloves, thermometers and partitions at checkout lines to help reduce the spread of the virus.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our team members and guests,” Anderson said in a statement. “We will continue to actively monitor this situation and respond accordingly.”
Workers at major retailers such as Walmart and Whole Foods have become increasingly vocal about the health and safety risks of continuing to come into work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Some Target workers called in sick or walked off the job May 1, as part of a nationwide strike to call attention to the lack of benefits and protections for essential workers.