MONTREAL -- McKibbin's Irish Pub on Montreal's West Island will close for two days after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The pub's management is asking anyone who stopped by the establishment to get a test for the novel coronavirus.
"Although, the risk of exposure to our clients is low, as we have implemented all of the government safety guidelines, we would encourage anyone who has visited our West Island establishment to get tested," the pub wrote on its Facebook page.
The bar added that it will close for 48 hours to disinfect and sanitize the restaurant.
The news comes as Montreal public health confirmed that over a dozen people have tested positive for the virus after visiting at least nine bars in Montreal.
The health department’s Sante de Travail office teamed up with the workers’ safety board (CNESST) and carried out 197 inspections this weekend in Montreal bars to ensure rules were being followed.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube spoke about the situation in bars Monday during the province's COVID-19 news briefing.
“We’ll monitor very closely, especially with bars,” said Dube. “If we see bar owners not complying with the rules, we will have to act accordingly… But we need to give them the benefit of the doubt.”
As of Saturday, masks will be mandatory in public indoor places including bars.
Health authorities sent out a warning on the weekend urging anyone who has been in a bar on the Island of Montreal since July 1 to go for COVID-19 testing.
