Sobeys reported a case of COVID-19 at their IGA store located in Ile Bizard this week causing a few posts on Facebook.
The owner, Chris Sevigny, was quick to answer the questions about the store on the post confirming the case was indeed from the Ile Bizard location.
“Indeed, an employee tested positive last week at our store,” Sevigny stated. “He last worked Monday, April 13th and contracted the virus from his mother who works in a CHLSD. God bless her! Hats off to all health workers! Our employee was and is still in good health, but when he returned home on April 13th at night, his mother had symptoms. So he advised us, and we put him in quarantine 14 days as a precaution as we have done with a half dozen other employees who are all back from their quarantines. (Mainly from living with family members having travelled in March break or extended family having symptoms) When our employee tested positive three days later, we followed Sobey’s guidelines and Health Canada protocol.”
Ile Bizard’s Ross Di Biasi spoke to the West Island Blog about his feelings of returning to the store.
“I saw posts on Facebook about IGA Extra Sévigny having a case of COVID-19 amongst their staff. I called, and the receptionist confirmed it,” explained Ile Bizard resident and former police officer, Ross Di Biasi.
“I’m sure they won’t take a chance. It is a hand on family run business, I have no problems going there. They have added plexiglass and tape to keep COVID-19 protocol. said Ile Bizard resident and former police officer, Ross Di Biasi.
The rest of the information provided by owner Chris Sevigny is as follows:
“1. The 3 employees that worked in close proximity to him on April 13th were advised and quarantined for 14 days.
2. A few hours later after being advised, the store was sanitized by a specialized firm that very same night. The emphasis was every possible area in the store the employee could have gone through or touched was thoroughly sanitized.
3. The employees (1 department at a time) were made aware the next morning by management of the situation. They were told of the steps taken, reminded to keep following social distancing and washing hands guidelines and reminded of the code of ethics received and acknowledged when hired that stipulates Sobeys social media guidelines as well as mainstream media requests which need to be sent to head office. They were told to not circulate news, or comment news, but also told not to deny it if asked.
All this said, the 3 quarantined employees have shown no symptoms to date and 1 went for testing as a relative in the same home has a fragile health condition and her result was negative. We look forward to having them all back next week. As for our employee who tested positive we hope to have him back soon but no timetable yet. Additional steps are added almost daily inside the store for both customers and employees to ensure everyone’s safe health. The newest is the bill will be put directly in a bag as opposed to handed over directly.
As a reminder we ask the following: wash hands when entering store and use a clean basket (leave baskets outside), no product or bottle returns, leave your reusable bags at home (and if you have them do not use them to gather your groceries as you shop), please keep social distancing (be patient and wait for free spaces to move forward, follow the floor one way indications and feet markers at different areas inside the store, do not visit the store if you have any symptoms.
If possible one person per family, avoid using cash and seniors please call for orders and have your groceries delivered. We are very proud of our team, our work and what we bring to the community. We work tirelessly to keep shelves stocked while adhering to strict health guidelines both related to Covid-19 and not. Stay safe everyone. Your kind words keep us going so please be polite, patient and respectful with all our employees.”
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