More Woolworths staff isolate as workers test positive to COVID-19 across 44 locations

Woolworths has been hit by coronavirus, with several workers in self-isolation after 52 staff returned positive tests to the deadly disease across 44 Melbourne locations. It follows announcements of infections at Coles, DFO and Costco.

Two COVID-19 cases in the space of five days at The Glen Woolworths and another two in the space of 11 days at Plenty Valley are the latest workers to test positive.

And 52 cases have been connected to the grocery chain across 44 Melbourne locations since July 5, with two infections linked to the Plenty Valley, The Glen, Collingwood, Mornington East, Cranbourne East, Braybrook, Craigeburn Highlands and St Albans stores, and three at Newmarket Plaza.

It follows the announcement of more infections in the last week with two cases at both The Glen and Plenty Valley, and single cases at Mornington East, Collingwood, Thrift Park and Keysborough South.

The last shifts for all infected workers were on August 8 at The Glen, Glen Waverley, August 5 at Cranbourne North (Thompson Parkway Shopping Centre), August 4 at Keysborough South and St Kilda, August 2 at Thrift Park and Dandenong, August 1 at Point Cook, July 31 at Blackburn North and Southland, July 30 at Karingal Hub and Newmarket Plaza, July 29 at Plenty Valley and Craigieburn Highlands, Cranbourne East and Millers Junction, July 28 at Bundoora, July 27 at Fitzroy and Highpoint West, July 25 at Carrum Downs and Cranbourne North, July 24 at Craigieburn Highlands, July 23 at Lilydale and Sebastapol, July 22 at Braybrook, July 20 at St Helena, Caroline Springs and Watervale, July 19 at Newmarket Plaza, July 18 at Keysborough, St Albans and Victoria Harbour, July 17 at Airport West, Frankston and St Albans, July 16 at South Yarra and Cranbourne East, July 12 at Abbotsford Metro and Tarneit Gardens, July 11 at Laurimar, July 6 at Mt Waverley, July 5 at Sunshine Marketplace, July 4 at Officer and Werribee Plaza, June 30 at Craigieburn Plaza and June 29 at Hogan’s Corner and Newmarket Plaza.

Management advised any customer who shopped at any of the stores on the listed dates to make contact with the Department of Health and Human Services if they felt unwell.

It is unclear if the two Cranbourne East diagnoses, announced on August 6 and August 2, two Braybrook cases, announced on July 31 and July 25, two Craigieburn Highlands cases, announced on July 31 and July 28, and two St Albans cases, announced on August 4 and July 22, were linked.

It is also unknown if the three Newmarket Plaza diagnoses — announced on August 3, July 23 and July 10 — were linked.

Management confirmed all team members who worked with infected employees were notified and given full support if they were also directed to self-isolate.

“As a food retailer, we already have very high standards of cleaning and hygiene in place … while the risk of transmission to customers and team members is low, the safety and wellbeing of the local community is out priority,” they said in a statement online.

The Woolworths infections follow diagnoses announced across 17 Melbourne Coles stores, with 21 cases in total linked to the grocery giant.

And on July 24, it was revealed workers across all three DFO shopping outlets returned a positive test.

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