- A Costco employee at the company's Issaquah offices reportedly died after testing positive for the coronavirus.
- The corporate office did not close and employees are still expected to come into work, Buzzfeed reported.
- Costco did not return Business Insider's request for comment.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Costco's Issaquah, Washington corporate offices stayed open for business after an employee that tested positive for the coronavirus died on Sunday, according to reporting from the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.
The employee worked with Costco Travel and a potential coronavirus connection was initially downplayed in the email announcement to the company, KTTH reported.
According to Buzzfeed News, Costco employees were upset with the company's decision to keep the offices open.
"Employees have to choose between a check or their health," an employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told Buzzfeed.
KUOW reported last week that Costco employees at the offices in Issaquah were still expected to come into work as many major companies were making the shift to working from home.
In an email obtained by KUOW, Costco CEO W. Craig Jelinek wrote, "This decision may be unpopular with some, but we consider it a matter of equity and fairness."
Costco has experienced a major surge in sales in the last month, as shoppers flock to the warehouse store to panic-buy amid coronavirus fears. CFO Richard Galanti told analysts that the members-only warehouse chain saw an uptick in consumer demand in February.
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