COVID-19 cases linked to city strip club, fast-food restaurant

Two Metro Vancouver businesses temporarily closed last week after cases of COVID-19 were reported.

Health officials are warning patrons of a Vancouver strip club about possible exposure, while McDonald’s has closed a Coquitlam location after an employee tested positive.

Vancouver Coastal Health reported Saturday that people who visited Brandi’s Exotic Show Lounge on Hornby Street between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on the nights of June 21, 22, 23 and 24, and the early morning hours of June 25, may have come into contact with someone with the virus.

Several people who tested positive for COVID-19 attended the strip club on those dates, according to a VCH news release.

Health officials said there was no risk to anyone attending Brandi’s outside of these dates and times, and there is no continuing risk to the community.

VCH spokesperson Clive Camm would not say whether any employees tested positive. Brandi’s has temporarily closed, according to a message on the company’s phone.

Meantime, McDonald’s has temporarily closed its location at 1095 Woolridge St. in Coquitlam, near the Ikea furniture store, while a third party thoroughly cleans and sanitizes the building.

An employee reported a positive test Friday after working their most recent shift on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., McDonald’s said in an emailed statement.

The company is advising customers who visited Tuesday to follow guidance from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and visit a section on its website that explains how to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms.

“We are working to ensure our timeline to reopen happens as quickly and safely as possible, as we know our guests depend on their local McDonald’s, and we are committed to doing our part to help our communities,” a spokesperson said via email.

McDonald’s is working with Fraser Health and will provide an update when it has more information, the company said.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry did not give COVID-19 updates on Saturday. The next update is scheduled for Monday.

As of Friday, there had been a total of 2,878 confirmed cases in the province, including 159 that were active.