Dolly’s Home Hardware in Qualicum Beach is open and back in business, following a one-day closure on Nov. 18.
Co-owner Liz Virgin said it was a difficult time after one of their team members tested positive for COVID-19.
“It’s an unknown territory,” said Virgin. “It’s scary.”
Virgin said as soon as they were made aware, they voluntarily closed the store on Nov. 18 to conduct a major sanitization of the entire store.
“It took us the whole day to clean up the place, from 8 o’clock to 6:30,” said Virgin. “We wiped everything that is touched. No stone left unturned. It still smells like Pine-Sol here.”
Virgin commended all her staff members for coming in to help out.
“Yes, there were concerns,” said Virgin, who added their head office guided them through the whole process and advised them on the actions they should take. “There’s always concerns but they all showed up.”
RELATED: Qualicum Beach hardware store closes for cleaning after staff member tests positive for COVID-19
The part-time employee, who is now self-isolating, was at the store on Nov. 14 and was tested two days later. The positive result was known on Nov. 17.
Virgin said that Island Health did not order them to close down.
“If it was that bad they would have informed us by now, so I am guessing we’re low-risk,” said Virgin. “It was our employee that informed us and we just did things on our own. We’ve had positive feedback for being so honest and for being forthright.”
Virgin said for the safety of staff and customers, the store will continue to strictly enforce COVID-19 protocols. No excuses, she said.
“You have to have a mask and hands sanitized before you enter the store,” said Virgin. “If you cannot wear a mask or face shields, you can shop online, email or phone us and do curbside pickup. If they want to bring their own sanitizer they can but they have to do it in front of staff.”
