On March 25, Eastside Food Co-op announced that an employee who works in the meat and seafood department had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
On April 4, the Minnesota Department of Health issued a list of congregate care facilities that had coronavirus patients. Catholic Eldercare, 817 Main Street, was on the list. Bywood East Health Care, 3427 Central Avenue NE, was added to the list on April 14.
The co-op and Bywood agreed to share their experiences with the Northeaster.
At the co-op, the ill employee, who worked at the store March 14 and 15 and apparently had not shown any symptoms, sought medical care on March 16 and was advised to self-isolate. Other employees who had been within six feet of the person for more than five minutes during that weekend were asked to stay home for 14 days. Isolated employees were paid for any shifts they missed during the isolation period.
In the meantime, the co-op stepped up its cleaning program and installed plexiglass sneeze guards (now becoming an industry standard) at the cash register and issued protective gear to all employees. The made-to-order deli counter was closed. The number of shoppers is limited to allow for appropriate social distancing and reusable bags and containers have been banned.
In addition, all baked goods are now pre-packaged, tables and chairs were removed from the dining area to support social distancing and demonstrations and sampling have ceased. All public events and classes held at the co-op through the end of April have been canceled.
General Manager John Lacaria said the Minnesota Department of Health told him the store is taking all the necessary actions to protect its employees and customers. “We worked with them very closely and made the right decisions for the store,” he said.
Lacaria said he couldn’t share an update on the affected employee, citing privacy issues. “We take their privacy very seriously,” he said. “We’re really focused on being here for the community.”
Panic buying has leveled off, said Lacaria. “We’re seeing more normal shopping activity, although people have changed their shopping habits. Fewer trips, bigger baskets.”
Bywood East began preparing for COVID-19 in February, when the virus was raging through congregate residences in the state of Washington. “We’ve been taking all the precautions we can,” said President and Owner Stephen Kaminski. “It didn’t take a brilliant person to see the writing was on the wall.”
The health care facility, which houses 88 to 92 residents at any given time, immediately went into lockdown; family and friends were told to stay away, and vendors made their deliveries outside the building. Staff have their temperatures taken when they report for work. Residents take meals in their rooms instead of at the congregate dining area. More than 40 new over-bed trays were ordered.
Disinfection of surfaces has been stepped up. “If we disinfected it five times a day, we’re now disinfecting 25 times a day,” said Kaminski. Staff training has been bolstered, too, to help them keep a lookout for the disease.
Isolating a nursing facility is difficult, Kaminski said. “Unfortunately, it [coronavirus] penetrated our walls.” He said the person who became ill is recovering.
Kaminski said Bywood has weekly calls with the Minnesota Department of Health. “They’ve been very helpful to us,” he said.
Despite all the restrictions, Bywood employees are still encouraged to interact with the residents, within the correct social distance, of course. “We want them to continue to try to bring some sunlight into their lives,” Kaminski said.