BC Government Creates Retailer Guidelines around COVID-19

The government of British Columbia has announced new guidelines for retailers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Here is what the government is asking stores to do:

  • enhance the premise’s sanitation plan and schedule, and ensure staff are practising proper hygiene. This includes frequent hand washing, only coughing or sneezing into an elbow, and avoiding touching one’s face;
  • place hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60% ethyl alcohol in dispensers near doors, pay stations and other high-touch locations for customer and staff use;
  • ensure washrooms are always well stocked with liquid soap and paper towels, and that warm running water is available;
  • provide clean carry-out bags for purchased food and grocery products; customers should not use their own containers, reusable bags or boxes;
  • post signs at each check-out indicating that no customer packaging is to be used or placed on check-out counters;
  • ensure cones or tape markers are in place every two metres to provide customers with visible queues that support physical distancing;
  • use physical queue-line controls, such as crowd control cordons at entrances and in check-out lines outside the stores;
  • do not sell bulk items, except via gravity feed bins or where staff dispense the bulk items; and
  • anyone with COVID-19-like symptoms, such as sore throat, fever, sneezing or coughing, must self-isolate at home for 14 days.

Check out the complete list of guidelines here

For more COVID-19 related information for UFCW 1518 members, go to our COVID-19 Resource Page.

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