Numerous workers at major grocery and drugstore chains operating across British Columbia have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past few days, including several in Metro Vancouver.
Stores with affected employees are located throughout the Lower Mainland in Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, including at Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Vancouver and Surrey, Safeway stores in Langley, New Westminster, and North Vancouver, and at a T & T Supermarket in Richmond.
Other major grocery chain employees have tested positive in the Interior Health and Island Health regions as well in recent days.
Sobeys, Inc, the parent company of Safeway has indicated on its case tracker that employees working at three of its Metro Vancouver stores have tested positive for the virus. The affected stores are as follows:
- Safeway, 220, 800 Carnarvon Street, New Westminster: The last day the employee worked was Dec. 1.
- Safeway, 1170 East 27 Street, North Vancouver: The last day the employee worked was Dec. 5.
- Safeway, 20871 Fraser Hwy, Langley: The last day the employee worked was Dec. 5.
The Langley case is the second recent infection among store staff; previously Sobeys confirmed a test-positive case for a worker at that Safeway location on Dec. 7. That infected employee had last worked Dec. 3.
Sobeys is also reporting a test-positive case for an employee at its Thrifty Foods store in Mill Bay on Vancouver Island.
Loblaw Companies Ltd, the parent company of Shoppers Drug Mart, provided updates to its COVID-19 employee case listings on Dec. 14, indicating cases at the following store locations in Metro Vancouver:
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 432 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver: The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 11.
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 15105 16 Ave, Surrey: Two team members tested positive for COVID-19. The last day the team members both worked was on Dec. 10.
Further, Loblaw reported on Dec. 14 two test-positive employee cases at its Real Canadian Superstore location on Baron Road in Kelowna, and on Dec. 12 confirmed a team member infection for its Superstore on Lougheed Hwy in Mission.
T & T Supermarket, the B.C.-based Asian grocery giant owned by Loblaw, reports a new store case in Richmond. The company's COVID-19 store case tracker shows the following new information:
Lansdowne Store - MAJ1-8311 Lansdowne Road, Richmond: Backroom associate tested positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked Dec. 8.
According to the supermarket chain, its COVID-19 employee test positive case rate is 0.42 per cent.
