Outbreak declared at London shawarma restaurant

Photo of the Middlesex-London Health Unit from healthunit.com

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December 4, 2020 5:46pm

The local health unit has declared an outbreak at a London shawarma restaurant after six employees tested positive for COVID-19.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit announced on Friday that the outbreak had been declared at The Shish Shawarma & Grill restaurant located at 1401 Ernest Ave.

The first case was brought to the health unit’s attention on Tuesday, and the health unit made the decision to close the business after another two cases emerged on Wednesday. The next three cases were reported to the health unit on Thursday.

At this time, the health unit said there was a low-risk to customers who visited the restaurant, however, health officials are still investigating whether or not the staff members were infectious.

“Any interactions between restaurant employees and patrons would have been brief and staff who interacted with customers were wearing masks, which would have reduced the possibility for COVID-19 transmission,” said Dr. Alex Summers, the associate medical officer of health with the health unit, in a news release. “We will continue our investigation and work with these six people directly, determine who their close contacts are and provide the support they need to help navigate this situation.”

Anyone who attended the restaurant between November 22 to December 2 is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19.

The health unit reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Since the start of the pandemic, the region has recorded a total of 1,759 COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths.