More Costco Employees Have Tested Positive For The Coronavirus Days After A Coworker Died From The Disease

[HEROO]

At least two more Costco corporate employees have tested positive for the novel strain of the coronavirus since one of their colleagues died Sunday after contracting it, according to internal corporate communications obtained by BuzzFeed News. Another worker at a warehouse in Michigan also has COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

The employee who died Sunday worked in Costco's travel department in a building on campus known as LP2. One of the newly confirmed infected staff members also works in that building, according to an email sent to employees. The other person works in the company's IT department.

Costco has been supplying food and resources for communities across the US during the coronavirus pandemic, as panicked residents stock up amid ramped-up quarantine and lockdown measures.

However, employees at its corporate office in King County, Washington, which had been the epicenter of the outbreak, as well as across its warehouses, have expressed concerns about their own health and safety. Until Wednesday, Costco had kept its sprawling campus open and its several thousand workers in the office. Those who wanted to work remotely needed to get approval from managers.

After the company confirmed that the travel employee died of the virus, management then encouraged employees who felt uncomfortable coming into the buildings to work from home.

In two separate emails sent to the workforce on Thursday, management announced that two more employees who worked on the sprawling campus in Issaquah, Washington, had the virus. Employees often use shuttles to travel from the different buildings and its warehouse.