A worker at Kevin’s Your Independent Grocer in Fernie tested positive for COVID-19 on November 20.
According to parent company, Loblaws, the worker last worked at the Fernie supermarket on November 10. No further information was released by the company for privacy reasons.
Interior Health have not reported any public exposure risks in Fernie at this time.
The company reported the positive test as part of its transparency policy on public safety, saying that the worker tested positive for a presumptive COVID-19 test.
A presumptive case is when an individual sees a doctor locally to get tested and it’s reported as positive on a local level. It is changed to a confirmed case when it is passed to higher health authorities (such as Interior Health) and re-confirmed. Almost all presumptive cases are re-classified as confirmed.
The positive result comes a day after BC authorities mandated mask-wearing in indoor public spaces, banned social gatherings and discouraged non-essential travel.
According to the most recent data released by the BC CDC, there were 22 cases of COVID-19 reported in the East Kootenay health region between November 6 and 19, for a cumulative total of 68 since the beginning of the pandemic.
There are currently 253 active cases within the Interior Health region.
READ MORE: Interior Health reports 31 new COVID-19 cases
scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
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