Stores flouting COVID-19 rules, hundreds tell city
A week ago Sunday, Janice Hopkins walked into the Costco store off Merivale Road — after fighting for a parking spot — but didn't last long inside.
“After being in the store for about three minutes, it was just too congested and I was too uncomfortable,” she wrote to the Citizen. “I left immediately.”
A director of finance at a technology firm and a Costco regular, Hopkins is not alone. Ottawa bylaw reports it has received hundreds of complaints about the retail sector since pandemic rules went into place in March and April.
Though it didn't provide specifics, it reported that 18 complaints have been lodged against this particular Costco, with two charges laid for failure to wear a mask.
As we enter into peak Christmas shopping season — a period during which some stores will make 50 to 70 per cent of their annual sales — it appears that rules have loosened at major retail outlets. Where outdoor lineups were once the norm, they are now much less common.
A reporter for the Citizen on a quick tour of the west end on Sunday found no lineups at Walmart, Costco, Food Basics or LCBO, and only a small line at the Metro on Richmond Road at Carleton Avenue.
“I keep thinking of the crowded store and how potentially dangerous the situation was for the spreading of COVID,” Hopkins wrote. “As well, so many other businesses are closely monitored and it seems unfair to them and the citizens of Ottawa.”
In a followup interview, Hopkins remarked on how the rules have changed from early in the pandemic, when Costco had not only measured lineups but a “member plus one” policy for who could be in the store, avoiding, say, a family of six doing shopping that could be accomplished by one person.
Costco did not reply to a request for comment.
Bylaw director Roger Chapman says enforcement officers have paid attention to large retailers.
“In addition, officers have also conducted hundreds of proactive patrols at retail establishments, including big-box stores like Costco, Canadian Tire, Ikea and Walmart, for example,” he said in an email reply.
“During these visits, officers inspect for contraventions of both Provincial Orders and the (mandatory mask rules). In the vast majority of cases, officers have observed retail establishments to be taking the appropriate steps to follow both regulations.”
Chapman said there is no set capacity of customers in a large store, but rather a limit based on square footage.
He also said provincial orders do not require directional arrows in the aisles. And, as any shopper knows, the arrows are often ignored by customers and some aisles are simply too narrow to permit two-metre distancing at all times.
The November climate is obviously different at LCBO stores where, early in the pandemic, security guards managed lineups outside and customers could only enter when inside numbers allowed.
A clerk not authorized to speak to the media told the Citizen that the posted capacity numbers at the door are often exceeded and the feeling from management was to make shopping as comfortable as possible.
“What they don't want is long lines of people waiting in the cold.”
A statement from LCBO's press office says the agency has not relaxed the “safety measures and precautions that matter most,” like cleaning, sanitizing and promoting physical distancing. It did admit, however, to modifications.
“Throughout the pandemic, guided by public health and with the safety of our people, partners and communities in mind, we have continued to modify our processes to ensure the measures we have in place across each area of our business meet or exceed set standards.
“In fact, we have applied a universal capacity standard across our store network which in all cases meets or exceeds the 50 per cent capacity requirement.”
Just last week, the Ontario government announced it was drawing on more than 200 provincial offences officers to act as inspectors in business sectors where safety measures have been imposed. The “education and enforcement” blitz is aimed at restaurants, bars, gyms and banquet halls in Ontario hot spots.
The amount of virus-spreading in retail settings is hard to pin down. Data released by Ontario in late October showed wild variations, from one per cent of outbreaks in Ottawa to 19 per cent in Peel and 11 per cent in York region.
Ottawa Public Health reminds that wearing a mask and physical distancing — in the store and in staff rooms — are critically important at this time of year.
“As we head into the holiday shopping season, we encourage business owners to review their current practices and make any necessary changes to ensure they are creating a safer shopping experience.”