QUINCY, MASS. (WHDH) - A Walmart in Quincy temporarily shut its doors after health officials say one employee died from the coronavirus and 10 others tested positive.
The Quincy Health Department began monitoring the store on Falls Boulevard after receiving complaints a week-and-a-half ago from both employees and customers, according to Quincy Health Commissioner Ruth Jones.
“The most complaints, they were that they weren’t enforcing social distancing like they should,” she said. “There were a lot of crowds in there. People were crowded outside, people were crowded inside; the employees were coming back still symptomatic.”
The Walmart voluntarily closed at 3:30 p.m. Monday and will undergo a deep cleaning, test all employees for the coronavirus, and conduct an inspection before reopening.
“The health commissioner has been in touch with corporate Walmart and they made a decision on their own to close down and clean the store entirely and test all employees,” Quincy Mayor Tom Koch said. “Until further notice, the Walmart in Quincy is shut down and the health commissioner fully agrees with that decision.”
In a statement to 7NEWS, spokesperson for the retailer said: “As a company, we will continue to monitor our locations in and around the Boston area, and beyond, and may make decisions to close a store temporarily to undergo additional cleaning and restocking, similar to what we have done at other stores across the area and the state.”
A Walmart in Worcester is working to reopen after more than 80 employees tested positive.
That store is likely to reopen on Tuesday after having undergone two deep cleanings and inspections.
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