Dartmouth Superstore temporarily closes as COVID-19 case prompts extra cleaning

An Atlantic Superstore in Dartmouth was closed Thursday after the company learned an employee recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Mark Boudreau, spokesperson for Loblaw Atlantic, said in an email they closed the Portland Street location at 1 p.m. "out of abundance of caution."

He said the employee last worked on March 31.

Boudreau said the store will likely re-open Saturday morning, since it will already be closed tomorrow for Good Friday.

A third-party professional company will be brought in to do a thorough cleaning and sanitization overnight. Available Superstore workers will also help.

Boudreau said the company follows all protocols recommended by public health, and also "absolutely go above and beyond what is required."

Loblaws has been working with public health officials to contact all potentially affected colleagues and taking appropriate action.

"Public health officials are satisfied with our protocols and have confirmed the risk to our customers was very low," Boudreau said.

The Dartmouth closure comes just hours after another Superstore in the province reopened after a COVID-19 case among their staff.

Boudreau said the New Glasgow location was also closed early on Wednesday after the company learned an employee had tested positive for COVID-19.

The worker was last in the store on April 1, and had been wearing a protective mask.

For confidentiality reasons, Boudreau said he could not provide details about the employee's role at the store.

The New Glasgow store reopened with usual hours Thursday morning, after a round of the same deep-cleaning plans described for the Dartmouth location.

The existing Superstore COVID-19 measures remain in place in all stores. These include sanitizing shopping carts after every use, limiting the number of people in the stores, markers on the floor directing foot traffic, and eliminating reusable bags