A Walmart Supercentre in south Edmonton has been shut down by the company as it deals with a COVID-19 outbreak at the location.
Representatives from Walmart Canada told Global News that the store at 3931 Calgary Trail NW closed after it confirmed 12 cases in employees.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, confirmed the outbreak in her media update on Monday but said at the time health officials were not sure of the source of the outbreak.
“It is not clear at this time if these staff were exposed at work, or if there is a common exposure outside of the workplace,” Hinshaw said Monday.
Walmart officials said that some other employees who were in close contact with those who tested positive are isolating.
“The store is currently closed and will reopen in the coming days when we can offer the very best experience for our customers,” the company said in an emailed statement to Global News. “We will be conducting a deep cleaning.”
Walmart Canada previously announced that it was making masks or face coverings mandatory in all its stores, a rule that went into place on Aug. 12.
The mask rule applies in every store, regardless of whether there is a local government mandate in place.
On Monday, the province reported 426 new COVID-19 cases from tests taken over the weekend. There were 133 new cases on Friday, 184 new cases on Saturday and 109 new cases on Sunday.
That brings the total number of active COVID-19 cases in Alberta to 1,370; 590 of which are in the Calgary zone and 551 of which were in the Edmonton zone.
–With files from Global News’ Emily Mertz and Amy Judd
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