Costco customers urged to self-isolate
Two workers at Vaudreuil-dorion store reportedly test positive for COVID-19
Town officials urged thousands of shoppers to self-isolate after two employees at the Costco in Vaudreuil-dorion reportedly tested positive for COVID -19, but health officials insisted shoppers were at no greater risk of contracting the virus than anyone else.
Reports of the positive cases prompted two nearby municipalities to ask citizens who had visited the store to self-isolate, but regional public health authorities said self-isolation wasn’t necessary, noting in a press release that officials would contact those who were most likely to have been directly exposed to the virus.
“COVID-19 is circulating in all sectors of the Montérégie,” officials said. “Some people can get the disease without symptoms and without being diagnosed.”
Local news outlet Viva-media initially reported the cases of COVID-19 at the shopping centre, citing a letter sent to Costco Vaudreuil employees. The first employee to test positive last worked at the store on March 31, the other on April 3, the outlet wrote.
Following the report, town officials in the nearby municipalities of Vaudreuil-sur-le-lac and Hudson warned residents of the cases and suggested anyone who had shopped at the store recently should self-isolate.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Vaudreuil-sur-le-lac representative Josée Guillemette said isolation was necessary “to limit the risk of spreading the virus and to protect the heath of citizens.”
“We remind you that it’s everyone’s responsibility to act in a way that maintains a safe and secure living environment,” Guillemette wrote.
Hudson also issued a warning on Wednesday: “The town of Hudson strongly recommends all residents who shopped at the Vaudreuil
Costco store between March 31 and April 3 self-isolate for 14 days from the date of your last visit.”
But the town of Vaudreuil-dorion, where the Costco is located, didn’t tell its citizens to self-isolate.
“It’s nonsense,” Vaudreuil-dorion Mayor Guy Pilon declared, criticizing the two nearby towns’ statements. “If we start panicking for things like this, we’re going to close everything.”
The sheer number of customers who shop at the Costco would hinder self-isolation measures, Pilon noted, adding that the wholesale store was a risky location to visit in the first place but had to stay open.
“How many people do you think went into Costco in the past few weeks and didn’t have symptoms, but maybe began to show them afterwards?” the mayor asked. “We can’t (recommend self-isolation). If we start, it will be a witch hunt.”
This week some of Quebec’s major grocery store chains released a list of locations where staff and customers had tested positive for COVID -19. At least 11 grocery stores on the island of Montreal and numerous others across the province have seen employees test positive. But most municipalities have not asked shoppers to self-isolate.
Grocery stores have taken precautions to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus: requiring shoppers to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before entering, installing protective plastic between cashiers and customers, and limiting the number of people allowed in at one time.
Town officials in Hudson and Vaudreuil-sur-le-lac did not respond to calls from the Montreal Gazette on Friday.
Costco has not yet confirmed the positive cases of COVID-19, and requests for comment and confirmation went unanswered.
French media outlets on Thursday reported long lines to enter the store and unconcerned customers.