Philip Morris USA employee tests positive for COVID-19

Tobacco manufacturer's employee is self-quarantined for 14 days.

Published March 18, 2020 by Sydney Lake

A Philip Morris USA employee has tested positive for COVID-19, said Steve Callahan, managing director of communications, at Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., the tobacco manufacturer’s parent company.

Altria sent a message to all employees late Tuesday night notifying them about the matter, Callahan says.

“For employees who were in contact with the affected employee, we have asked for them to work at home with pay for the next 14 days,” Callahan says.

The employee is actively recovering and feeling well and is self-quarantined at home.

“We developed rigorous protocols to handle suspected cases, including identifying and notifying, as quickly as possible, those who may have had contact with an affected employee. Those protocols worked well in this case,” Callahan said. “Out of respect for their privacy, we’re not disclosing any additional information about them.”

Altria employs approximately 3,000 people in the Richmond region between its corporate headquarters in Henrico and Philip Morris USA’s cigarette manufacturing facility and research center in Richmond.