London Drugs begins ‘gradual’ reopening of stores in Western Canada

London Drugs in Western Canada began the gradual reopening of stores after six days of closures.

In an update Monday morning, the company said 40 stores were open and it is aiming to have all 79 stores open by the end of Tuesday. However, some pharmacy services won’t be available “due to connectivity issues.”

The closures were due to a cybersecurity “incident” that happened last Sunday.

A list of stores that are currently open is online. As of Monday, it included two in Calgary and two in Edmonton.

“We ask for patience as we work with each store to ensure it is operating fully to meet the needs of our customers,” said London Drugs staff in a release.

“As we have communicated over the last couple of days, our store systems are complex and connect with multiple third-party provider systems, all with different requirements.

“We are continuing to work with our third-party cybersecurity experts to bring our systems online in a safe and secure manner.”

0:59 Day 3 of London Drugs closure after cyberattack

London Drugs said not all of its systems are fully back, but it won’t delay reopening, as it “understands the need to meet the healthcare and everyday needs of its customers.”

Pharmacists are standing by at all store locations to support urgent care needs, the chain said.

“We are pleased to announce that we are gradually re-opening stores in a secure, safe and orderly manner to take care of our customers’ needs,” says Clint Mahlman, president and chief operating officer.

“We are grateful for the patience and support of our customers and suppliers as we work to bring all services and systems at our stores back to full operation following this cybersecurity incident.”

London Drugs said the only systems being used have been “thoroughly tested for safety and verified by third-party cybersecurity experts.”

The business said at this point in its investigation, no evidence has been found that any customer databases were compromised, including those of pharmacy patients and LDExtras members databases.

Canada Post locations inside stores are accessible as well.

The cybersecurity incident closed more than 80 locations across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

2:12 London Drugs investigates cyberattack and possible impact on personal information

With files from Emily Mertz, Global News