Most COVID-19 Outbreaks In Montreal Workplaces Are Happening At Retail Stores

The city's public health department recorded employee cases in 12 industries.
Reporter

Montreal's retail industry is the most common source of COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces in the city, says the regional public health department.  

According to data provided to MTL Blog by the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS), as of September 28, the city logged 98 COVID-19 cases in 38 workplaces.

The largest proportion of cases in workers were reportedly found in retail stores, which accounted for 10 of 38 workplace outbreaks across the island.

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10 retail store employee outbreaks

An outbreak is defined by at least two confirmed cases, in less than 14 days, that cannot be explained by a link outside the environment, CIUSSS said in a statement. 

That means two or more cases of COVID-19 were found in 10 retail stores around the city.

A large proportion of outbreaks also occurred in a category the public health department calls "other commercial and personal services," which includes everything from bars and restaurants to gyms.

Seventeen outbreaks were recorded in the other services category, including outbreaks at four restaurants, two gyms and one bar in Montreal.

Metal manufacturing workplaces saw two outbreaks, while all other industries had just one outbreak.

The regional public health department began recording the data on April 18.

  • Lea Sabbah
  • Lea Sabbah was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. Previously, Lea was a radio host on CJLO 1690 AM and her work has been published by Global News, the Toronto Star, Le Devoir and the National Observer. In 2019, she was part of the investigative team that uncovered lead in Montreal's drinking water — a story which won Quebec's Grand Prix Judith-Jasmin. She's a graduate of the journalism program at Concordia University.

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