Employees at Fortinos, Hamilton Antique Mall and McMaster University test positive for COVID-19
The Hamilton Antique Mall has closed for two weeks after a worker tested positive for COVID-19.
In an Instagram post Thursday, the business said one staff member had tested positive for the virus. As a result, all staff members are isolating for two weeks starting Friday, and the four-storey Ottawa Street North store will close its doors.
The antique mall, which is Hamilton's largest, according to its website, spans over 34,000 square feet and hosts more than 200 booths, which are operated by independent vendors.
It reopened mid-February after the stay-at-home order was lifted for the city and non-essential retailers could open their doors for in-person shopping.
An employee at a Fortinos grocery store in west Hamilton has also tested positive for COVID-19, according to the store's parent company.
Loblaw was notified Friday that a staff member at the Fortinos location at 50 Dundurn St. S. in Hamilton had tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19," according to a listing on their online COVID-19 case tracker.
The last day the employee worked was March 3.
According to Loblaw, when a worker tests positive they work closely with public health and follow their guidance to ensure proper notification of close contacts and required cleaning and sanitization in our stores."
It's unclear how many staff members were affected by the case or if any were recommended to self-isolate as a precaution. The database also does not specify which part of the store the employee worked in.
In a release Friday, McMaster University said they had been notified of two unrelated" cases of COVID-19 involving staff members.
According to the university, one staff member tested positive on March 9 and was last on campus on March 5 in the John Hodgins Engineering Building. The other tested positive on March 10 and was last on campus on March 4 in the T13 building.
All impacted areas" have been cleaned and Hamilton public health is managing contact tracing.
When a person notifies McMaster they are awaiting test results and spent time on campus, all areas the person visited within the last 72 hours are cleaned. If the test comes back positive, the university does additional cleaning.
According to McMaster, they notify the university community any time they are informed" of a case involving an individual who has spent any time on campus even if just for a few minutes."
Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com