Goodwill Northern New England announced that it hopes to reopen Friday after four workers at its Gorham warehouse tested positive for the coronavirus.

The nonprofit social services enterprise confirmed that four workers tested positive for COVID-19 over a two-week period. Three employees have been cleared to return to work while the fourth remains quarantined at home, Goodwill said Thursday in a Facebook post.

“The individuals are not in positions which interact with the public and have very limited interaction with our other staff members,” Goodwill said.

When Goodwill blearned the employees tested positive, it closed the Gorham warehouse and Buy the Pound facilities in Gorham.

“We took immediate steps to sanitize the areas in which the employees were present and have reviewed all safety protocols with staff to ensure continued safety diligence. We will reopen in Gorham on Friday, July 17th,” Goodwill said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodwill said its top priority has been keeping team members and customers safe. That has included safe social distancing, the use of personal protective equipment, frequent sanitizing and pre-work employee health screenings.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the outbreak at Goodwill. A Goodwill spokeswoman told WGME-TV that the outbreak was not linked to any donations and that customers are safe to drop off donations or visit Goodwill stores.


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