Workers at major grocery and drugstore chains operating in Metro Vancouver have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
New confirmed virus cases have been announced for people working at stores in Burnaby, Langley, and Surrey.
Loblaw Companies Ltd, the parent company of Real Canadian Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart stores provided an update to its COVID-19 employee case listings on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
The affected stores are as follows:
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 7322 King George Blvd, Surrey: The last day the three infected team members worked were on November 19, Novmber 23 and November 24, respectively.
- Real Canadian Superstore, 19851 Willowbrook Drive, Langley: The last day the team member worked was on November 18.
Further, T & T Supermarket, which is also owned by Loblaw, updated its own COVID-19 case listings to include a new in-store test-positive instance. The affected store is as follows:
- Metrotown Store, #147-4800 Kingsway, Burnaby: The last day the back room associate worked was on November 26.
Sobeys, Inc, the parent company of Safeway has indicated on its case tracker that an employee working in one of its Metro Vancouver stores has tested positive for the virus. The affected store is as follows:
- Safeway, 8860, 152 Street, Surrey: The last day the employee worked was November 25.
All of the stores listed above are located in the Fraser Health region, however the health authority does not consider these public exposure sites.
Masks mandatory for shoppers, employees in B.C. stores
On Nov. 19, B.C.'s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry leveraged the Emergency Act to mandate all staff and customers wear masks at indoor retail outlets.
At its T&T Supermarket, Real Canadian Superstore, and No Frills stores, Loblaw has mandated that staff and customers wear masks since the summer.
British Columbia's PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry has a message for people who don't follow a provincial order to wear a mask in indoor public spaces: order takeout, shop online or stay home.
With a file from the Canadian Press
