Facebook
PepsiCo decided to close the doors of its office building in the West Loop on March 11 because of a coronavirus infection.
According to Crain’s Chicago Business, PepsiCo gave a statement via email that said the offices would reopen on March 12.
"The PepsiCo Chicago office was closed for a deep cleaning on Wednesday, March 11 due to an employee’s family member in question,” the statement read. “We’ve confirmed that the employee in question and their family member have both consulted with doctors and show no signs of having contracted the coronavirus.
“The Chicago PepsiCo office will reopen at 6 a.m. tomorrow, March 12. The health and safety of our employees remains our highest priority and we will continue to act with an abundance of caution as we navigate this rapidly evolving situation.”
PepsiCo, which is based in Purchase, New York, closed its building at 555 W. Monroe St.
The food and beverage giant occupies most of the 445,000-square-foot property.
Crain’s Chicago Business said it is believed to be the first downtown office building to be closed because of the virus.
“While we do not know if this family member came into contact with the person diagnosed with coronavirus, and we believe the risk to you is extremely low, we want to be fully transparent,” PepsiCo said in an email, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
“Out of an abundance of caution we are closing the Chicago Plaza tomorrow while we collect all the facts. We will also conduct a deep clean of the building."
PepsiCo asked its Chicago employees to work from home until they hear an update.
Meantime, the owner of Prudential Plaza confirmed that an individual who is employed in the East Loop building had tested positive for the coronavirus. The person in question works for the real estate developer CA Ventures.
Alerts Sign-up