Trader Joe’s publishes Covid rates among workforce

Trader Joe”™s has become the first national supermarket chain to publish the rate of Covid-19 cases among its workforce.

Trader Joe”™s operates 514 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia. According to the Monrovia, California-headquartered company, as of Oct. 31 it has recorded zero-to-four cases of employees testing positive for Covid-19 in 83% of its stores, while 24% of its stores had no reported positive cases.

Out of a national workforce of 53,000, Trader Joe”™s estimated that 2.4% of employees tested positive. Trader Joe’s had 1,250 positive cases reported over the past eight months, and 95% of those employees returned to work after recovering during a quarantine period.

The company said that two employees died this year in circumstances where “Covid-19 was suspected to be a contributing factor,” but it did not state how many employees required hospitalization since the pandemic began.

“The health and safety practices and procedures that have been put in place, and that continually evolve, have been effective because of the great work done by our crew members in every store, every day,” said Jon Basalone, president of stores. “We appreciate our crew members’ diligence and our customers’ patience as we work each day to make our stores safe for everyone.”

Trader Joe”™s operates Fairfield County stores in Danbury, Darien, Fairfield, Stamford and Westport. Across the Westchester border, the company has locations in Hartsdale, Larchmont and Scarsdale.