On a day when Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) reported nine newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its service area, McDonald's Canada revealed there was an outbreak among three of its workers at its Chelmsford Restaurant on Highway 144. McDonald's has since announced that two employees at its Hanmer restaurant have also tested positive.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the decision was made to immediately shut down the restaurant for a thorough cleaning and sanitization by a certified third party. We are working to ensure we reopen safely, as we know our guests depend on their local McDonald’s and we are committed to doing our part to help our communities," said a corporate news release Friday morning. The restaurant has since re-opened.
"All crew members who may have been in close contact with the employees have been asked to self-quarantine until further information is available," said the company statement.
McDonald's also advised that any guests who may have visited the restaurant on Oct. 30, Oct. 31 or Nov. 1 should take appropriate precautions as advised by Ontario Public Health.
Public Health Sudbury said it was aware of the McDonald's Canada statement but would not be releasing any additional information.
"Public Health does not share details about individual cases of COVID-19 unless sharing is required to protect the public’s health. However, we can confirm that as a result of case investigation, individuals working at this McDonald’s location were identified as contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 and advised to self-isolate and seek testing," said an email statement from PHSD.
Also speaking out publicly was Cambrian College of Sudbury, which said in a statement on Nov. 5 that "members of the Cambrian community have tested positive for COVID-19." This was the second public statement from the college in two days.
On Wednesday, Cambrian revealed that an individual member of the Cambrian community tested positive for COVID-19, but that person had not been on campus this semester. Both statements were signed off by college president Bill Best.
The Wednesday statement combined with the Thursday statement revealed that two or more persons had tested positive, but Cambrian declined to reveal any additional information.
"We are cooperating fully with PHSD in its ongoing investigation. There is a legal obligation to protect the privacy and health information of the individuals involved, and as such we are not able to share further information at this time," said Cambrian.
The college also pointed out it appears the virus is not on campus.
"Public Health has shared with us that there is no evidence of transmission on campus and there are no additional public health measures required beyond what we already have in place. Public Health has also advised us that there is no outbreak on campus," said Cambrian.
