Coronavirus infects about 150 Costco employees at the Washington state store, a site that will remain open

Nearly 150 Costco employees in Washington tested positive for COVID-19, revealed an ongoing investigation by the Yakima Health District.

The Yakima health district unveiled its findings on Tuesday after testing across the site at Union Gap, reported the Yakima Herald.

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All 145 people with a positive test are currently in quarantine, the health department announced in an updated statement Tuesday. The store will also continue to provide ongoing site-wide testing for its employees, while monitoring the outbreak.

However, the store will remain open as employees continue to investigate the “sharp increase” in cases.

After reviewing the number of cases and when they occurred, officials say there is evidence that the outbreak resulted from “some kind of over-disseminated event”.

Last week, the Yakima Health District announced that it was working with the wholesale club to investigate the outbreak, after at least 68 employees tested positive before Christmas.

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However, when employees visited the site on December 23, they “concluded that there was no increased risk of transmitting COVID-19 to the public, as long as staff and customers continue to follow safety precautions”, Dr. Larry Jecha, interim health officer for the Yakima health district, said last week.

Costco began conducting widespread employee testing, as directed by the Yakima Health District, due to the “large number of infected employees”.

For site-wide testing, all employees, regardless of whether they have been identified as being in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case, are tested.

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When a major outbreak occurs, the Yakima Health District COVID-19 Outbreak Response team also accompanies the company to gather information about which department the affected employees worked in and when the test was positive.

Health workers will determine the appropriate next steps for the company based on a number of factors, including whether there is an increased risk to the community, whether the company can demonstrate that it is complying with the COVID-19 safety precautions and whether there is evidence of continued transmission.

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Yakima County, where the store is located, has seen a significant increase in COVID-19 boxes in recent weeks. To date, the county has reported more than 18,100 confirmed cases.

Despite this, county officials did not recommend closing companies due to the COVID-19 infection among their employees.

Costco representatives did not immediately respond to FOX Business’s request for comment.