How to find out if you may have been exposed to COVID-19 at a Toronto LCBO

As new cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Ontario amid the province's second wave, medical experts have been strongly emphasizing the need for complete transparency when it comes to where new infections are being contracted and transmitted.

Public officials have begun publishing notices of larger outbreaks and potential exposures to provide greater transparency as a result, and some major business have also followed suit.

Companies in Ontario are not officially required to notify the public of cases among their employees, but some larger companies such as McDonald's and IKEA have taken it upon themselves to make that information available nonetheless in an effort to alert customers who may have been exposed. 

LCBO has meanwhile also been maintaining a database on its website about every instance where an employee tested positive for the virus.

The webpage features details and a statement about every case among LCBO employees in Ontario to date, the first of which was back in early May.

So far this month, the following Toronto LCBO locations have reported at least one case of COVID-19 among staff members:

• 396 St. Clair Avenue West (last shift worked was Sept. 12)
• 1 York Gate Blvd - Yorkgate Mall (last shift worked was Sept. 12)
• 1618 Wilson Avenue - Sheridan Mall (last shift worked was Sept. 9)
• 510 Brimley Road (last shift worked was Sept. 2)

The database also includes information about what steps were taken once the store was notified of the case, as well as any direction or recommendations provided by public health. 

Along with LCBO, most major grocery stores in Toronto have also taken created online search portals where shoppers can look up newly-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in workers. 

These tools undoubtedly aid Torontonians in being more aware of all the places they could have been exposed to the virus, but public health officials maintain that the best ways to avoid contracting and spreading COVID-19 are still frequent handwashing, physical distancing, wearing a mask indoors or when maintaining a distance of six feet isn't possible, and staying home when ill. 

by Mira Miller via blogTO