Outbreak confirmed at Calgary Purolator distribution centre

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – An outbreak has been declared at a Calgary Purolator distribution centre after 30 employees tested positive for COVID-19.

During the daily Alberta COVID-19 update, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said outbreak precautions are being implemented at the centre and that AHS is working hard to offer testing to all the employees.

READ MORE: Total COVID-19 deaths in Alberta pass 100

Purolator confirmed that the majority of the cases were with inside sortation employees in a statement and that all employees who have tested positive are self-isolating.

“We have been working closely with Alberta Health Services to ensure that our safety protocols are further strengthened to ensure that other employees at this facility remain safe. We continue to provide employees with PPE while maintaining rigorous sanitation and social distancing standards,” the company said in a statement.

“We are also following a thorough contact tracing program to effectively isolate and contain the risk of further spread while instituting health screening and temperature checks for all workers and visitors before they can enter the facility.”

“Purolator remains vigilant about potential community outbreaks of COVID-19 and is prepared to quickly respond when any such outbreak is reported. We are managing the situation with an abundance of caution and are constantly monitoring developments, in partnership with Alberta Health Services, to protect our people, our customers and our operations.”

In the meantime, those receiving packages are being encouraged to exercise caution when dealing with possible contaminated surfaces.

Hinshaw said the virus can survive on some surfaces, such as cardboard, for about a day. However, that is in a controlled environment and could be less depending on the exposure the surface experiences.

In any case, Hinshaw says the safest thing to do is to open the package, dispose of the packaging, and wash your hands thoroughly before touching the items inside.

Hinshaw said it is unlikely that contamination will occur, but it’s better to be safe.

“There’s little evidence to suggest that there has been transfer of the virus over long distances or times from a package,” said Hinshaw

She clarified that where they see the most possible contamination is when people are active within the same space and touching the same surfaces.