Lethbridge Shoppers Drug Mart employee tests positive for COVID-19

An employee at a north-side Shoppers Drug Mart in Lethbridge has recently tested positive for a case of COVID-19.

The store where the infected individual works is located at 3071 26 Ave. N.

According to a news release from Shoppers Drug Mart, the employee has not been at the store since Tuesday.

Shoppers Drug Mart, which is owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd., is a Canadian health and beauty retailer that offers convenience products and pharmacy services to Canadians.

Loblaw public relations declined an interview, but told Global News in an email that the company is “working with the local public health team and have taken a number of steps to minimize risk, including increased sanitation protocols and enforcing social distancing practices in the store.”

The store briefly closed for a “thorough cleaning” and has since reopened.

According to the company, the employee, along with co-workers who came into contact with the infected individual, are now self-isolating.

Loblaw said it is contacting customers through its PC Optimum database to notify them of the situation.

“There is no ongoing risk associated with this case at this site as the individual is no longer working, and all exposed individuals have now been contacted directly by AHS, per our standard contact-tracing process,” Alberta Health Services told Global News in an emailed statement. 

“AHS directly contacts any individual considered exposed to confirmed cases, and these individuals are asked to self-isolate and be tested for COVID-19. This is called contact tracing, and is done immediately in response to each case of COVID-19 we confirm by lab testing.

“AHS has mobilized a provincial, integrated team of more than 400 contact tracers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic overall. More than 300 of these represent additional staff. The number of people conducting contact tracing per day is approximately 100. This team includes highly-trained AHS staff from across Alberta.”

Precautions such as physical distancing, regular hand hygiene, wearing masks and staying home can help prevent spread and exposure.

When an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the employer receives instructions as per Alberta’s workplace guidance for business owners, which can be found here.