The recent surge of coronavirus cases that saw Los Angeles County named as the epicenter of the pandemic seems to be subsiding, however, that does not mean the virus has gone away.
That surge in COVID-19 has resulted in a corresponding surge of infections happening in the workplace.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website lists a total of 376 “non-residential setting” in Los Angeles County which have seen outbreaks among three or more employees in the last month. That’s down from 544 workplaces with outbreaks on Jan. 14 when WEHOville last checked the workplace numbers.
Six new workplaces in the West Hollywood vicinity have had coronavirus outbreaks in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, seven workplaces in the WeHo area which WEHOville listed in its Jan. 14 report continue to have outbreaks.
These are the six NEW workplaces in the WeHo area that have had outbreaks:
- Able Services, 351 S. Fuller Ave, Tower 35 (Park La Brea) – 16 employees
- Bottega Venetta, 320 N. Rodeo Dr. – 11 employees
- Gelson’s Market Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. – 10 employees
- New Century Plaza South Tower, 2025 Avenue of the Stars – 127 employees
- Whole Foods Beverly Hills, 239 N. Crescent Dr. – 10 employees
- Whole Foods West Hollywood, 7871 Santa Monica Blvd. – 17 employees
Below are the seven workplaces in the WeHo area which CONTINUE to be listed as having workplace outbreaks. Any increase in the number of employees testing positive since WEHOville’s Jan. 14 report is noted in parentheses.
- 8687 Melrose Ave construction site (Howard Building Corp) – 18 employees (No change)
- 8899 Beverly Blvd construction site (Pankow Construction #2) – 85 employees (No change)
- Best Buy West Hollywood, 1015 N. La Brea Ave – 28 employees (1 additional employee)
- Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd. – 19 employees (No change)
- McDonalds #1411, 1133 N. La Brea Ave. – 12 employees (5 additional employees)
- Pavilions (Vons), 8969 Santa Monica Blvd. – 25 employees (8 additional employees)
- Target #1884, 7100 Santa Monica Blvd. – 51 employees (8 additional employees)
According to a Department of Public Health spokesperson, a “facility remains on the website list until at least 14 days have elapsed since the last COVID-19 case among the employees was identified.”
When there is a workplaces outbreak, public health does a through investigation of the situation. The public health spokesperson explained, “The purpose of an outbreak investigation is to make sure that employees who are COVID+ are appropriately isolated, their close contacts at work and at home are quarantined, and that the business implements COVID-19 testing among its employees. Further, Public Health (Environmental Services) inspects the worksite to make sure that the business has implemented and is following the required Health Officer Order and applicable protocols.”
WEHOville contacted several of the 13 businesses in the WeHo area which have had outbreaks asking for comment. Of those contacted, only the Whole Foods corporate office replied, offering this comment:
“Like most grocery retailers, we do have Team Members who have been affected by COVID-19. We are supporting any Team Member diagnosed or placed in quarantine so they can prioritize their health and stay home. We have rolled out extensive measures to keep people safe in our stores and facilities and continue to operate under the guidance of health and food safety authorities.” – Whole Foods Market Spokesperson
There are ten Whole Foods locations in Los Angeles County, including the locations in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, which are now listed on the public health department’s website as having outbreaks. The Whole Foods location with the most employees testing positive is the one near downtown Glendale at 331 N Glendale Ave. That location has 52 employees testing positive.
Finally, four workplaces which WEHOville listed in its Jan. 14 report have not had any new cases in the past two weeks and were removed from the list. Those workplaces are:
- Apple Store, 8500 Beverly Blvd.
- Jewish Family Services of LA, 330 N. Fairfax Ave.
- Neiman-Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd.
- Sprouts Farmers Market #285, 915 N. La Brea Ave.
