For the second time in the past week the Atlantic Superstore on Braemar Drive in Dartmouth, N.S., has closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
“We are aware that one of the colleagues from the Atlantic Superstore at 9 Braemar Drive, Dartmouth, NS has recently tested positive for COVID-19. The colleague last worked on Saturday, April 11th,” Mark Boudreau, the director of corporate affairs with Loblaw Atlantic, wrote in an emailed statement.
READ MORE: Dartmouth Superstore employee tests positive for COVID-19
Boudreau said Loblaw Atlantic is reaching out to public health officials and are taking steps to minimize the risk of spread.
Those steps include increasing sanitization protocols and enforcing social distancing in the store.
The store on Braemar Drive closed Tuesday afternoon and the plan is to have it reopen on Wednesday, said Boudreau.
This is the second employee at the Braemar Drive location to test positive for COVID-19 this week.
Loblaw Atlantic said on April 10 that an employee at the Braemar Drive location had tested positive for COVID-19.
That employee had last been at the location on Wednesday, April 8,
Several Atlantic Superstores have reported temporary closures in recent weeks due to COVID-19 exposure.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Modelling projects between 1,453 and 6,269 cases in Nova Scotia by June 30
Boudreau said that the Braemar Drive location closed out of an ‘abundance of caution’ when they found out a colleague tested positive.
He states that the store didn’t have to close and that public health officials are satisfied with their protocols and have confirmed that the risk to customers was ‘very low’.
He adds public health officials have been working with the store to identify all potentially affected colleagues and that a professional cleaning company will be conducting a thorough clean of the store overnight before it reopens.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
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