To Our Co-op Community:

The health and safety of our Co-op community is our highest priority. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread throughout the country, we want to share some of the actions the Co-op is taking to help protect our community.

As this situation continues to evolve, we will closely monitor guidance from local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC updates). We will continue to rely on their recommendations and expertise to inform our decisions.

As a result, we are:

• Increasing the frequency and rigor of cleaning and sanitization in our retail stores and office environments.
• Based on the guidance we’ve received and the actions we’ve taken, our stores remain open for business and we’re doing all we can to make sure our shoppers have access to food and essential supplies. Some items are out of stock and not available, but we will continue to work with our distributors to keep out of stocks at a minimum.
• The Co-op offers comprehensive sick leave to our staff who miss work due to illness or to care for sick family members, and we are asking any worker experiencing fever, cough and/or shortness of breath to stay home and contact their doctor.
• We are actively preparing for staff to work remotely when possible, and to support those who are in the CDC’s identified higher risk categories to stay home or work remotely as able.
• Encouraging shoppers to utilize our hand washing stations, sanitizing wipes, gloves, and single use paper tissues in our stores to help prevent the spread of the virus.

All of us at the Co-op understand that this issue is cause for concern to many, and we offer our deepest sympathies to those who have already been affected. Rest assured that as circumstances continue to develop, one thing will remain the same: we will make our decisions with the health and well-being of our members, customers, staff, working members, distributors, and communities as our highest priority.

In cooperation,
The Olympia Food Co-op Staff Collective

CDC’s chart of Stop the Spread of Germs 

CDC’s chart of Share Facts about COVID-19