A Belgian branch of the Aldi discount supermarket chain has announced it will destroy all unpackaged products after an employee tested positive for coronavirus.
After opening as usual on Friday morning, an Aldi store in the municipality of Menen in the province of West Flanders close to the French border, closed its doors after it received news that one of its employees had tested positive for the virus.
"We immediately decided to close the store," spokesperson Jason Sevestre told Het Nieuwsblad. "Immediately after that, we disinfected the store from top to bottom," he added.
This is the first Aldi store in Belgium that had to close because of the coronavirus. "It is new for us, too. We will destroy all unpackaged products," Sevestre said, adding that people who have already bought something, should thoroughly wash fruit and vegetables.
All Aldi employees are all-round, meaning they can all work in the store, at the cash register, or in the store room. According to Aldi, it is impossible to check if the employee was in contact with customers.
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"However, we do advise our customers to keep a close eye on everything. In any case, we are not authorised to carry out identity checks," Sevestre said.
When the supermarket will reopen is not yet clear. "Preferably on Saturday, but we will not open until everything is 100% safe," he added.
The employee, who was hired only recently, will remain in quarantine for the next two weeks, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
All branches of the store need to have an employee posted at the door to disinfect the trolleys, and make sure not too many people enter the store.
"We also introduced a face mask requirement, and there is a hygiene stand at the entrance that is free to use," he added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
