WESTPORT — An employee at Lees Market in Westport, said to have worked in the meat department, has tested positive for cornonvirus, the market revealed. That person is now the second person in town to test positive for the virus.

In a letter to customers, the market said,

“In strict compliance with the guidelines set forth by both the CDC and OSHA and to provide the highest degree of transparency, we are informing all that an employee at Lees Market recently tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member discontinued work prior to displaying symptoms of COVID-19. According to the Westport Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Health, the employee being non-symptomatic in the workplace means the employee posed little or no risk to anyone at Lees Market.”

In the statement, Lee’s informed the public of the steps they are taking to address the issue.

“We would like to instill the highest level of confidence that Lees Market has exceeded the necessary steps to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. These steps include, but are not limited to:

– The staff member has not been permitted to return to work until meeting all CDC guidelines. These include: allowing at least seven (7) days to pass, testing negative twice within a 24 hour period in secondary COVID-19 testing, and/or they must be without fever and symptoms (under 100.4° F without fever reducing medication) for 72 hours, with or without secondary COVID-19 testing.

– Performed a comprehensive investigation of the employee’s contact with others throughout our facility. From this investigation, we have informed necessary staff, third-parties and authorities to ensure that the issue is contained to the highest degree. Any staff who are symptomatic but have not been tested for COVID-19 will not be permitted to work.

– Continued our rigorous cleaning and sanitizing program of the entire workspace to minimize the potential spread. We have even gone beyond CDC and OSHA guidelines and installed plexiglass shields at our registers, enforced social distancing protocols, implemented extensive store-wide sanitizing policies and much more.”

“As always, your continued health and wellness are always our top priority and we will do everything in our control to make Lees Market the safest shopping experience possible. Thank you for your understanding while we all navigate these unusual and uncharted waters together.”

A toiwn official said he understands the employee worked in the meat department.

"If you haven't been to Lee's recently, they have closed the deli counter and all items are prepacked, put plexiglass screens in front of the cashiers, and clearly demarcated waiting in line distances at the cashier in addition to their prior sanitizing etc. practices," the official added.