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Update: All Publix employees are now required to wear face masks. More >>

Two Publix employees in Orlando have tested positive for coronavirus. 

One employee works at the Publix on Orange Avenue in SODO, just south of downtown Orlando. The other works at the Publix on Colonial in East Orlando near Bithlo. 

In a statement, spokesperson Maria Brous says as essential service providers, Publix workers and their families have been affected by coronavirus.

Brous says the chain expects to see an increase in cases among workers as the virus spreads throughout the community. 

Publix offers fourteen days of paid sick leave for associates who test positive for COVID-19 and any coworker who came in close contact with them.

Stores close early for cleaning and use plexiglass shields, tape on the floor, and one-directional shopping to maintain six feet of social distancing. 

These employees are not the first in Central Florida to test positive for the virus. Two workers tested positive at Clearwater stores earlier in the month, along with two workers in South Florida.