KAWARTHA LAKES-Kawartha 411 News has learned that at least three employees at Food Basics, located at 363 Kent St. West in Lindsay have tested positive for Coronavirus.
According to the parent company Metro, they were notified that one employee tested positive on February 4th and was last in the store on January 31. The second employee tested positive on February 3 and was last in the store on January 29th. The third case tested positive on January 27 and last worked in the store on January 22. The incubation period for Coronavirus is from one to 14 days according to the CDC.
“We will always contact and follow the guidance of Public Health to ensure the safety of our teammates and customers whenever we are made aware of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in one of our food stores or distribution centres.” said the company in a statement on its website. “We will continue to update daily to be transparent with you where we have been notified of cases of COVID-19 in our food stores and distribution centres.”
The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU)says the three cases were symptomatic but no outbreak was declared because the cases had high-risk exposures that were unrelated to their place of employment.
Officials have been working with the cases and the employer, all high-risk contacts were identified and contacted by HKPRDHU. In addition, staff were advised of the cases and advised to self-monitor for symptoms.
“The store has infection prevention and control measures in place, including limiting the number of customers in the building, physical distancing decals on the floor, having staff implement regular cleaning and handwashing between customers, having surgical masks and eye protection available to employees, cleaning and disinfecting of equipment between uses, and having plexiglass barriers at tills.” Chandra Tremblay, Communications HKPR told Kawartha 411 News.
The store also had an electrostatic cleaning done on February 4 according to the health unit.
