HALIFAX -- The Atlantic Superstore in Bedford, N.S. closed its doors suddenly Friday morning after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Customers were being turned away from the store as it closed.
“It’s necessary to make sure that we’re safe as possible, we’re not taking any chances,” one employee told customers as the doors were shut.
“We’re not going to let anybody else in the store for the rest of the day.”
Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health spoke about the case during a news conference Friday afternoon.
Dr. Robert Strang said the employee wasn’t working on the front lines and wasn’t interacting with the public, so there isn’t a significant risk to customers.
Strang also said employees who were in close contact with the worker have been identified.
A spokesperson for the supermarket chain tells CTV News that the company has been in contact with Nova Scotia Public Health and has taken a number of steps to minimize risk.
“We want to assure our customers and employees that we take their safety very seriously,” said Mark Boudreau, director of corporate affairs for Loblaw Atlantic.
In an email, Boudreau said the store would be closed while they undertook a thorough cleaning, increased sanitization protocols, and enforced social distancing practices in the store.
Additionally, colleagues who worked closely with the employee are now at home in self-isolation, monitoring for any symptoms.
Boudreau said the store is expected to reopen Saturday.
As of Friday, there were 90 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
