Black Sheep Books in Ganges is temporarily closed following a positive COVID-19 test from a staff member.
Store owner Cat Cooper said Monday that the health ministry advised her that staff needed to quarantine, do a deep clean of the premises and close for a couple of days as a result. However, Cooper said, “We will remain closed until we feel it is safe to re-open.”
Cooper added that, “After asking the numerous health officials I’ve spoken with over the last two days, they were of the opinion that anyone who was in the store from Thursday, March 18 onward, (the infectious period prior to symptoms), is not considered at risk if they wore masks, maintained a six-foot separation and did not have more than 15 minutes of open face-to-face contact with staff. If you were in the store during those times, and have questions or concerns, please contact your health-care provider as to how you need to proceed.
“Despite the ministry advising me that we did not have to do anything else above quarantine, do a deep cleanse to the store, and close for a couple days, we will remain closed until we feel it is safe to re-open.”
Updates will be posted on the store’s social media sites.
Island bookkeeper Meron Moroz was notified of the exposure as part of the contact tracing process because her employee had interacted with Cooper last Thursday. Moroz’ initial Facebook page posting about the notification and her need to quarantine led to people asking if it was due to a separate exposure event. Moroz clarified on Tuesday that Black Sheep Books was the client in question.