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COVID-19 discovered in dozens of Metro Vancouver grocery store workers

Not all grocery store chains post their COVID-19 cases
safeway
Glacier file photo

More Metro Vancouver stores have been hit by COVID-19 cases involving staff members.

An employee at a Coquitlam Safeway has tested positive for the coronavirus. That’s according to the grocery chain’s parent company, Sobeys Inc., which issued an exposure notification for its 580 Clarke Road location on Christmas Day. The company indicated the worker last worked at the store Dec. 22. 

It’s not clear if any other staff or members of the public were exposed to the individual at the store's Burquitlam location.

Two employees at a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam also tested positive for the coronavirus in the store’s third exposure notification in less than a month.

The chain’s parent company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., listed an exposure notification Tuesday, Dec. 22, noting the employees last worked at the store on Dec. 12 and Dec. 18, respectively. This is at least the third time the Real Canadian Superstore in Westwood Mall, located at 3000 Lougheed Highway, has been hit with COVID-19.

As the largest food retailer in Canada, Loblaw oversees a large portfolio of brands in addition to Real Canadian Superstore including T&T Supermarket, No Frills Supermarket and Shoppers Drug Mart, among others.

Employees at the following Loblaw operated locations in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have tested positive for the virus in the last few days:

Real Canadian Superstore

  • 19851 Willowbrook Drive, Langley, B.C.: Two team members tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team members worked was on Dec. 17 and Dec. 21.    
  • 3185 Grandview Highway, Vancouver, B.C.: Team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 18.    
  • 3000 Lougheed Hwy, Coquitlam, B.C.: Two team members tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team members worked was on Dec. 18 and Dec. 24.    
  • 14650 104th Ave., Surrey, B.C.: Three team members tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team members worked was on Dec. 19 for two and Dec. 20 for the third.    
  • 350 S.E. Marine Drive, Vancouver, B.C.: Team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 20.    

Shoppers Drug Mart

  • 32390 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford B.C.: Team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 25.    
  • 10351 100th Street, Fort St. John, B.C.: Team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 20.    

Your Independent Grocer

  • 1650 Lonsdale Avenue, B.C.: Team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 19.    

T&T, which is also owned by Loblaw, posts employee COVID-19 test positive cases on a public webpage. The Asian grocery giant has not reported any recent store worker cases in British Columbia following a single case reported by the company Dec.14 at its Lansdowne mall location in Richmond, involving an employee who last worked Dec. 8.

Sobeys Inc. the parent company of Safeway, FreshCo and Thrifty Foods reported seven instances of employees testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20. 

FreshCo

  • 6140 Blundell Road, Richmond, B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 10
  • Unit 100 32500 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 10

Safeway

  • 8671 No. 1 Road Richmond, B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 15
  • 3664 Highway 16, Smithers B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 14
  • 1780 East Broadway, Vancouver, B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 14
  • 697 Bernard Avenue, Kelowna, B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 13
  • 8475 Granville Street, Vancouver B.C.: Employee(s) last day worked Dec. 12

— with files from Cameron Thomson, Vancouver Is Awesome and Stefan Labbe, Tri-City News