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An employee of Market Basket in Burlington has tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesperson confirmed Friday.

“As part of our protocol, the associate will not return to work until fully recovered,” said Justine Griffin, a Market Basket representative.

“We hope for our associate’s speedy recovery,” said Griffin. “Most supermarkets operating at this time are faced with these challenges. We have taken the same steps in each case, as we did here. We report it to public health officials and follow their guidance and bring in a specialized cleaning crew to clean and disinfect the store.”

On Wednesday, Market Basket announced it was mplementing social distancing measures to ensure a healthy and safe shopping experience for customers and employees. Starting Thursday, all stores were taking actions to reduce the number of customers at any given time and designating a single entrance and exit. Additionally, employees will clean and sanitize shopping carts for individual customers as they enter the store.

Griffin said, “Market Basket has also been constantly refining our operations focused on the health and safety of our customers and associates. “We listen to the wide range of input we receive on a daily basis – from our customers and our associates and from the governors and public health experts who describe the next several weeks as critical for the health of the residents in our region. As a result, we have limited the number of shoppers in the store at one time to ensure that customers have personal space, can maintain social distancing, and feel more comfortable.”

Joseph Schmidt, operations supervisor, stated the company has implemented a heightened disinfection program focusing on high-touch surfaces including cash registers, counter tops, register belts, red baskets, shopping carriages, payment devices, touch pads, desks, door and drawer handles, phones, and computers. Associates are required to practice good hygiene including washing their hands frequently.