COVID-19 in Hamilton: Cases at Shopper Drug Mart, multiple Fortinos locations and McMaster University

Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at a Hamilton Shoppers Drug Mart, four Fortinos grocery stores and McMaster University.

Loblaw was notified Tuesday that a worker at the Shoppers Drug Mart at 210 Mohawk Rd. E. had tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19," according to its online case tracker.

The employee's last shift was on March 19.

Staff members at four separate Fortinos grocery store locations in the city have also tested positive for the virus, according to the company.

An employee at the Fortinos at 1579 Main St. W. has tested positive. Their last shift was on March 20. A staff member at the Fortinos at 102 Highway 8 in Stoney Creek also tested positive. They last worked on March 14.

And a pair of workers at both the Fortinos at 1550 Upper James St. on the Hamilton Mountain and the Fortinos at 54 Wilson St. W. in Ancaster have tested positive for COVID-19.

The workers at the Upper James store were last on shift on March 9 and March 13, while the workers at the Ancaster location last worked on March 11 and March 17.

According to Loblaws, 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 if any other staff members were affected by the cases or if any were recommended to self-isolate as a precaution. The database does not specify which part of the store the employee worked in.

In a release Monday, McMaster said they had been notified of two unrelated" cases involving international students.

According to the university, both of the students tested positive on March 18, but both had already been quarantining in residence as per government guidelines after arriving earlier this month.

All impacted areas" have been thoroughly" 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