It was a confusing turn of events for Nanaimo’s Woodrgrove Centre, after a memo was sent out to staff claiming an employee had tested positive for COVID-19, and then was retracted only 24 hours later.
The memo was sent out on Tuesday afternoon to mall managers and tenants, signed by Ivanhoé Cambridge’s B.C. Regional Manager Charles Fleck, and stated that the person was “no longer” in the shopping centre.
Despite this, the memo didn’t clarify when the infected individual tested positive, where they worked within the mall, or how long ago they had left the mall.
A mere 24 hours later, on Canada Day, the Nanaimo shopping centre sent a follow-up, claiming that the previous memo was all just a mistake.
In a brief statement released by Ivanhoé Cambridge Wednesday evening, Woodgrove Centre said they were notified that the person who tested positive was indeed not working at the mall.
“We have just been informed that the person who tested positive for COVID-19 was not working at Woodgrove Centre,” the statement said.
“Meanwhile, rest assured that we have been following health and safety protocols and guidelines in our mall.”
No information about how the mistake was made, or where the apparent COVID-19 positive case originated from was revealed in the memo.
Woodgrove went on to stress that the health and safety of their employees, tenants, customers and other guests is of the highest importance to them and that they will continue to diligently disinfect the common areas throughout the shopping centre, such as countertops, entry doors, door handles, and railings.
There are reports that there was actually a mix-up, and the memo went to Woodgrove Centre instead of another shopping mall, but this has not been confirmed, nor which centre the memo was originally intended for.
Ivanhoé Cambridge operates dozens of malls across Canada, including Victoria’s Mayfair Shopping Centre, Tsawwassen Mills, and Metropolis at Metrotown.
