For Immediate Release: Friday, January 29, 2021

Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services’ Walnut Hill Liquor and Wine Store Temporarily Closed After Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services’ has temporarily closed its Walnut Hill Liquor and Wine store after a store employee tested positive for COVID-19. ABS was made aware of the positive test on Thursday, Jan. 28, and closed the store immediately. The employee’s last day at work at the Walnut Hill store, which is located at 16535 S. Frederick Road in Gaithersburg, was Wednesday, Jan. 27.

ABS deeply values transparency. In each instance in which a store is closed, ABS works to immediately notify the public through news releases, on the ABS website and via social media. The safety of our employees and shoppers is our top priority. We want customers to feel confident they are shopping in a safe environment.

Before reopening a specialized team will be brought in to disinfect the store. This deep cleaning involves chemical fogging and manual wiping down of all products and high contact surfaces in the store.

In addition to deep cleaning, all ABS stores have installed plexiglass at each register to create a barrier between consumers and staff and have erected hand sanitizer stations by the front doors. Staff is frequently disinfecting surfaces and is encouraging social distancing of at least six feet. Signage reminding customers to engage in social distancing and of the County health order requiring residents to wear facemasks while shopping, have been posted in each store as well. Staff are also limiting the number of people who can shop at one time to ensure distancing can be maintained.

ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County. ABS operates 25 beer, wine and spirits stores and one spirits-only store in Poolesville. It manages alcohol licensing, enforcement and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, ABS profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the County general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.

Learn more about ABS by visiting the website and by following ABS  on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 data dashboard.

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Media Contact: Melissa Davis 240-660-1224, Melissa.davis2@montgomerycountymd.gov