A staff member at Lansdowne Centre has been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, a spokesperson for the mall confirmed Tuesday.
The employee, a member of the mall’s management team which works in Lansdowne’s administrative offices, was exposed to the virus while offsite at a private family event.
Mall management was informed of the exposure July 11, spokesperson Bronwyn Bailey told the Richmond News in an email.
“The team member…has not experienced any symptoms associated with COVID-19 and is currently self-isolating, and will not return to work until they receive proper health clearances,” said Bailey, adding that the administrative offices are separate from the retail shops, and are only accessible to staff.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Vancouver Coastal Health said the health authority is not aware of any risk to the public at the mall, and that VCH has not issued any public notifications about the exposure.
On Monday, a notice was issued to Lansdowne tenants advising them of the potential exposure. A photo of that notice was then widely circulated on social media.
The notice said that the centre had been “potentially exposed to the novel coronavirus through an individual, or a group of individuals, either visiting or working in the building.”
And while the notice stated that an unspecified individual had been in contact with someone who has a “confirmed case of the coronavirus,” there are currently no suspected or presumptive positive cases at the mall.
“We are actively working with the tenant, and other involved parties, to confirm all details, and have provided them with the appropriate resources to address the situation. There is currently no confirmed risk to our building’s occupants,” reads the notice.
Dr. Meena Dawar, Richmond’s medical health officer, said all cases of COVID-19 are reported to health authorities, which will alert the public if there is any health risk.
“Please reach out to (public health) first before issuing notices,” Dawar told the Richmond COVID-19 Community Task Force.
She said some retailers might be working with limited information but public health can assess any risks to the public.
Bailey said that, out of an “abundance of caution and as per our established response protocols,” the administrative office space was disinfected, Lansdowne Centre staff were asked to monitor themselves for potential symptoms, and all tenants were informed of the situation.
“There have been no other confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 reported at our offices or the retail facility, which remains safe and open to guests,” said Bailey.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have maintained close contact with and followed relevant guidance from the City of Richmond and local health authorities, which have assessed the risk of this current exposure incident to be low,” she added.
- With files from Maria Rantanen
