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Wildberries Marketplace in Arcata is advising customers that four of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 this past week.

"Following the first confirmed positive diagnosis nearly 6 months ago, several more team members have tested positive in the last week," reads a post to the store's Facebook page from Phil Ricord, the founder and president of Wildberries.

"Despite rigorous compliance to recommended CDC and Humboldt County Public Health Department protocols and frequent communication with health officials, this insidious infection has found its way into our work force."

Six months ago, when Wildberries Marketplace announced its first employee tested positive for COVID-19, the total count of positive cases in Humboldt County was 107. Last week, the county saw a single-week record of 165 positive cases. Those cases pushed the county's to-date case tally beyond 1,000.

The Wildberries Marketplace Facebook post says the store employs over 100 staff and "given the current rate of infection regionally" it was "simply a matter of time."

The post goes on to say that effective immediately, the store will close two hours early, at 10:00 p.m. nightly, to allow for a "deep clean" sanitation of all contact surfaces.

See the store's full post to the community copied below.