Four Melbourne Coles stores deep cleaned as staff members forced into isolation

The dreaded coronavirus has hit four major supermarkets in the past 24 hours with staff members forced to self-isolate and contact tracing underway.

The dreaded coronavirus has hit four major Melbourne supermarkets in the past 24 hours.

Four Coles staff members returned positive tests for COVID-19 on Tuesday, with the employees working shifts at Coburg on Sydney Rd, Altona, Cardinia Lakes and Elsternwick.

At the Coburg store, the worker was last in the supermarket on August 9. A “small number” of team members have been deemed close contacts and asked to self-isolate.

The infected Altona employee last worked on August 6, with close contacts asked to self-isolate, while Cardinia Lakes and Elsternwick staff members who tested positive last worked on August 5 and August 2 respectively.

In a statement, Coles confirmed it would continue to work with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to finalise contact tracing.

The supermarket giant advised all stores had been deep cleaned and were trading as normal.

Victorian coronavirus cases rose by 410 on Wednesday, taking the total number of infections to more than 15,500.

Twenty-one more people died from the virus – the state’s deadliest daily figure. The Victorian death toll is at 267.