Employee at Forest Hill Loblaws tests positive for COVID-19

An employee at Loblaws Forest Hill market has tested positive for COVID-19.

Some store employees found out about the positive test Tuesday night.

In a letter sent to all employees Wednesday, obtained by CityNews, Loblaws says the infected employee “recently tested positive on a presumptive test” and was last in the store, located at 396 St. Clair Avenue West, on April 20.

This comes just over a week after the same store was accidentally left open on Easter Sunday. A shopper called police when she realized there were no employees in the Loblaws, ultimately forcing many customers to abandon their groceries and leave. Some did get away with a few items.

In an email, a Loblaws spokesperson tells CityNews they took a number of steps after the employee tested positive for COVID-19 “including the store closure and thorough cleaning by a third-party company.” The spokesperson also said “the risk to anyone shopping in our stores (customers or third-party shoppers) is considered low. We proactively communicate in an effort to be transparent, but there is no need for customers to do anything further.”

Loblaws said it conducted a thorough deep-clean and sanitization of the store overnight, which has since re-opened.

Additionally, the store has notified customers who recently shopped at the Forest Hill location, out of an “abundance of caution.”

“We understand that you may have questions and want to assure you that we take your safety, and the safety of our team, very seriously,” reads a portion of the letter obtained by CityNews. “We will work with the local public health team on any further directions and encourage you to reach out to them if you need more information.”

However, it’s unclear as to when Loblaws found out about this COVID-19 case and how long it took to tell employees. CityNews has asked Loblaws if it was fully aware of the contact trace of the sick employee when it closed overnight, from Tuesday to Wednesday, in order to thoroughly clean prior to opening Wednesday morning. We have not yet received a response.

I last got groceries here on March 25th. The store is massive but that just means more people crowded together. Lineups to get in. Lineups to get out. Felt like I was in a 50-person lineup to pay.

It was the first time in my life I almost had a panic attack. https://t.co/Aq4MsvJir0

— Mark Sheldon (@markdsheldon) April 22, 2020