THUNDER BAY – A COVID-19 outbreak has temporarily closed two Thunder Bay stores operated by Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada.
Two individuals involved with the organization’s men’s and women’s centres have tested positive for COVID-19, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit announced Sunday over social media. The health unit did not specify whether the cases involved residents or staff.
Several other individuals associated with the facilities are considered probable cases, the health unit said, and are now isolating.
The centres, on Johnson and Syndicate Avenues, offer long-term addiction recovery support to residents. They are supported by businesses operated by the group: the Super Thrift Store on Johnson, and the Christmas Store on North Cumberland Street.
Those businesses will be closed “as a precaution” while public health authorities continue an investigation of the outbreak, the health unit stated.
However, the agency said it had not yet identified close contact involving customers who recently attended the stores.
“At this time, customers who visited either store prior to their closures are not considered to be at elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19,” it said.
Robby Ahuja, director of Adult & Teen Challenge Northwestern Ontario, said the organization had directed residents to isolate at the centre, and would be modifying programming usually conducted elsewhere so it could be offered on-site.
The closure of the businesses would only worsen the financial hit the organization had already taken thanks to the pandemic, he said.
"We rely heavily on some of our micro businesses," he stated. "We already had to cancel our big fundraising dinner. Now we have to shut our stores down for at least a week, so that's a huge impact on us financially."
The pandemic had only heightened the need for addiction supports he added, with isolation a major challenge for those in recovery.
"Our phones are ringing off the hook," he said.
The health unit did not directly state whether the two confirmed cases associated with the outbreak were part of seven new cases announced Saturday or a further four announced Sunday.
There are now 12 active cases of COVID-19 in the Thunder Bay district. Three of those appear to be listed as part of an outbreak, according to provincial data.
