What you need to know
- Apple has closed its Sainte-Catherine store in Montreal.
- There has been speculation about a staff case of COVID-19.
- Apple says it the store was closed "due to current COVID-19 conditions", and there is no indication an employee was infected.
Apple has abruptly closed its Sainte-Catherine Store in Montreal, prompting seemingly unfounded speculation that an employee has been infected with COVID-19.
Apple's Ste-Catherine St. location is closed until further notice, though Apple hasn't explained why.A sign on the front of the downtown store simply says it's "closed until further notice" and looks forward to reopening soon. The same information is repeated in the store's voicemail message.
In an email to CTV News, Apple reportedly wouldn't confirm if there had been an outbreak of COVID-19 in the store but said:
...due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas.
Apple said it had taken the step "with an abundance of caution" and looked forward to having customers and teams back as soon as possible.
According to the report, a local customer had dropped a Mac off for repair at the store on Thursday and was quoted a repair time of up to 10 days. However, the following day, she was called and asked to collect the computer before 5 pm as the store was closing, and that her Mac would remain there if she couldn't retrieve it.
When she asked the store if an employee had tested positive for COVID-19 the store wouldn't confirm anything. The report says the customer was "uneasy at the idea clients aren't being told" stating:
"The main issue here is that if stores... are not going to be community-minded and reveal the truth, they should be called out on it. It's really bad for their public image"
As mentioned, there doesn't seem to be any indication at this point that an employee has tested positive for COVID-19, and as such is purely speculation. Montreal reported 156 new COVID-19 cases August 10, and 157 people are currently in hospital with the disease.
