Three employees at Greater Cincinnati Kroger locations tested positive on April 3 for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the union that represents them said.
One of those employees worked in Cincinnati, another in Harrison and a third in Middletown.
The three are on two-week paid sick leave as they recover, according to the union, which represents 30,000 Kroger and other retail employees across Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
Kroger has said that its workers' safety is its top concern and that it is taking measures to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The workers' specific jobs were not disclosed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that COVID-19 is unlikely to spread via food packaging. Kroger has complied with state orders to set a limit on the number of people allowed in stores at a time and has set six-foot distance markings in tape to help customers observe social distancing guidelines.
Grocery store employees are considered essential workers and, as such, are still working through the pandemic crisis. That puts them in harm's way, union representatives say, and will likely lead to more positive tests to come.
Kroger recently boosted workers' pay by $2 an hour for hours worked between March 29 and April 18 and added a $300 bonus for full-time workers and a $150 bonus for part-time employees.
Ohio has confirmed more than 4,000 cases of COVID-19 and 119 deaths due to the illness as of April 5. That includes 319 confirmed cases and three deaths in Hamilton County and 68 confirmed cases in Butler County.
