Workers in Fayetteville Hardee's, Walmart test positive for virus

Health departments in both Cumberland and Harnett counties are trying to track who might have been in contact with the workers.

The worker at the Hardee's at 2309 Gillespie St. tested positive on Thursday, officials said. Because the person lives in Harnett County, the case was initially reported there, but Cumberland County health officials issued a notice Friday because the worker may have come into contact with customers.

"We were not able to identify all of the close contacts, as we typically are, then we made the decision to put out a public notice," said Dr. Jennifer Green, Cumberland County health director.

Anyone who was at the restaurant on the following days and times could have been exposed:

Franchisee Boddie-Noell Enterprises closed the restaurant on Thursday and brought in a contractor to disinfect it. The restaurant reopened on Friday, but all 15 employees are in quarantine, and a new staff has been brought in to operate the restaurant, the company said.

"All of our Hardee’s locations have been undergoing enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures for several weeks, and our employees have undergone enhanced training on sanitation, cleanliness and personal protection. These employees have also been instructed to closely monitor their own health for any sign of possible illness," Boddie-Noell said in a statement.

No other Hardee’s locations in Cumberland County were affected, according to the Cumberland County Health Department.

A few hours after issuing the notice about Hardee's the health department informed people about a worker at the Walmart at 2820 Gillespie St. testing positive.

Again, officials were trying to track down people who might have been in contact with the worker and said that anyone who was at the store between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. April 1-3 may have been exposed.

"If individuals were at the location during those times, they should stay home if they have mild symptoms for up to 14 days," Green said.

Walmart spokesman Scott Pope said cleaning and sanitizing measures at the store are focused on the front entrance, carts, registers, bathrooms, high-touch surfaces, food areas and back offices, break rooms and other areas used by staff.

"Other areas of the store will be cleaned and continue to be sanitized on a regular basis," Pope said in an email. "This is in addition to other measures we are implementing in all stores, including installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing decals on the floors and limiting the number of customers in a store at a given time."

Walmart also provides gloves and masks for workers and screens them before their shifts to ensure they're healthy, he said.