To our members and community,

In the interest of transparency, we want to inform you that yesterday, Sunday, November 15, we learned that a Hunger Mountain Co-op employee tested positive for COVID-19.

Upon learning of the result, we spoke with the Vermont Department of Health. To our knowledge, the employee never exhibited symptoms while at work. The employee last worked at the Co-op on Sunday, November 8. It is highly unlikely that any shoppers would be considered a close contact, defined as at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of someone who is infected.

We have informed Co-op employees that a coworker tested positive and that the Department of Health is performing contact-tracing. As part of our regular policy, we ask that any staff exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness or fever stay home, contact our HR department, and notify their physician. Our co-op has generous paid time off and paid leave policies to support employees who cannot work.

Our co-op prides itself on its cleanliness and food safety standards, and we are taking multiple steps to best serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community. Since March, we’ve had an enhanced cleaning regimen, which includes disinfecting all frequently-touched parts of our store multiple times a day, with baskets and carts as often as possible, and deeper disinfection by Green Home Solutions weekly in the highest use areas. In April, we installed plexiglass shields at cash registers and required face coverings for everyone inside the Co-op. We continue to offer masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes in many locations through the store.

Additionally:

Staff members are screened daily for temperature and symptoms before work.

• To provide ample spacing for maintaining 6-feet of social distancing, we limit the number of shoppers in the store at one time. (See our real-time occupancy counter.)
• Last Friday in response to the increase in local COVID cases, we reduced the maximum limit to 35.
• 9 to 10 am is reserved for high-risk shoppers. During this hour, we limit the number of shoppers to 30.
• Our Curbside Pick-Up program is available to all Co-op members and offers online shopping for over 5,000 products with no service fees and contactless pick-up seven days a week.
• We all play a role in keeping our community healthy. Please do not come into the Co-op if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you’ve potentially been exposed to COVID-19.

We also ask that you consider:

• Shopping online through our Curbside Pick-Up program
• Visiting the Co-op only as often as you need to
• Shopping alone to the extent possible
• Creating a shopping list to help shop efficiently
• Minimizing your socializing while shopping
• Stocking up early on your holiday favorites
• Shopping earlier or later in the day, or on Sundays, Mondays, or Tuesdays
• Refer to our Code of Conduct and Guide to Safe Shopping for the Holidays

Stay connected with the Co-op by signing up for our biweekly e-newsletter, checking our Facebook and Instagram pages, and carefully read in-store signage for the most up-to-date information about shopper protocols, product availability, and operational adjustments.

All our best to you and your loved ones,

Kari Bradley, General Manager