The Co-op has been notified that an employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked in the store on Friday, October 23 and did not have direct, close contact with customers and only limited contact with other staff. The employee had limited access to store areas and those areas are being deep cleaned and disinfected. The staff that did have contact with this employee have been notified and are taking steps to be tested and /or quarantining depending on their level of contact. Wheatsfield will make sure that all affected employees are being taken care of through Wheatsfield sick leave policies or the Families First Coronavirus Response Act sick leave.

The Story County Department of Public Health has been notified and their guidance is being followed along the Iowa Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines.

We are sharing this information in an effort to be transparent with our member-owners, shoppers and the Ames community. We have been assured that the Co-op is not a higher risk environment than other public spaces due to this case. In addition, the Co-op continues to follow rigorous cleaning practices for the store including sanitizing of high contact surfaces multiple times per day and sanitizing carts and baskets after each use. The Co-op prides itself on its cleanliness and food safety standards and we are taking multiple steps to best serve you and protect our staff including requiring masks for all employees and customers and continuing to offer our curbside pick-up program.

Thank you to all of our member-owners, shoppers and especially staff for your support and dedication to keeping Wheatsfield a safe environment for all. Please call Wheatsfield General Manager, Linda Johnson at 515-232-4094 or email [email protected] with any questions.