CALGARY -- A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Purolator facility in Calgary.
Alberta's medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw confirmed Monday that 30 employees of the Aero Drive location in northeast Calgary have tested positive for the virus.
According to Purolator, the majority of the cases are in employees who work in "inside sortation."
"All of our employees who have tested positive are away from work and self-isolating. All of the positive cases have been out of the building for at least seven days," the company said in a statement.
Fourteen cases of the virus had been identified at the facility on Friday.
Last week, Alberta Health Services declared an outbreak at the Amazon Fulfillment Centre north of Calgary in Balzac, Alta. On Friday, CTV News reported five confirmed cases of the virus were found in employees. On Monday, the company reported that number had risen to nine.
Alberta Health Services is working with both companies to ensure outbreak precautions are put in place.
Purolator said the company is continuing to provide personal protective equipment to employees and maintaining rigorous sanitation and social distancing standards.
COVID-19 testing is being offered to all employees.
Package safety
According to Hinshaw, there is little evidence to suggest there has been a transfer of the virus through package handling and most of the environmental contamination has come from situations where people are sharing the same space.
"We do know that it's possible for the virus to survive on some surfaces and on something like cardboard it can survive for about a day. That's in controlled environments, so that wouldn't take into account if something was outdoors that would inactivate the virus sooner," she said.
Out of an abundance of caution, Hinshaw suggests anyone receiving packages should open them and immediately dispose of the packaging and thoroughly wash their hands before touching the contents.
