MONTREAL -- Two local pubs say they have reopened after pausing operations to test their entire staff for the virus after employees tested positive.
McKibbin's Irish Pub West Island and 3 Brasseurs Dix30 in Brossard announced on their respective Facebook pages that their entire staff had been tested for the virus, the results were all negative, and the pubs are now open for business again.
"Due to the very strict monitoring of our health and safety protocols (mandatory wearing of a mask and visor), as well as compliance with social distancing measures, we were able to control the situation since all the results of the other employees tested for COVID-19 were negative," reads the post on the 3 Brasseurs page.
McKibbin's announced it has installed its own contact tracing software. It has also implemented more safety measures, including contactless menus and regular testing for staff, the bar said.
"Our goal is to continue to provide a safe service for employees and customers alike," the pub wrote.
As businesses work through the new normal of potential positive tests or outbreaks, they've been taking different approaches.
Some are taking the pre-emptive step of notifying their clients when a client or employee tests positive, then closing and ensuring the entire staff gets tested.
Annies Sur Le Lac announced Tuesday that it was reopening after the entire staff was tested following a positive COVID-19 test.
The 24-hour poutine specialty restaurant La Banquise also announced it was closing so all employees could get tested after the announcement there had been several positive cases in Montreal bars.
"As a result, we will be closed until the results are obtained," the restaurant wrote Tuesday. "At the reopening, we will continue to apply all measures in place to ensure the safety of all in our establishment."
Premier Francois Legault and public health director Horacio Arruda said today that drinking establishments were not the main reason for the rise in cases recently.
Private gatherings, Legault said, were a greater concern.
