On Tuesday morning, the MCC Thrift Shop in Niverville received word that a volunteer at the store had tested positive for COVID-19. The individual had worked there on the morning of October 20.

“The individual is self-isolating at this time,” says store manager Gerald Loeppky. “Unfortunately, there were a few other volunteers who worked in the same area, and as a result some of them will also be required to self-isolate.”

The business was notified about the positive case at 9:45 a.m., and the decision was quickly made to close the store for the week.

“The main objective for closing was to ensure that there would not be further spread, and to protect our most valued volunteers,” says Loeppky. “I can assure the public that there was no interaction of this individual with the public, as they only worked in the clothing processing area, which is off-limits to the general public.”

He adds that the thrift store is asking that all donations be held back until they reopen.

“We anticipate this to be a short closure, unless it is determined that there was further spread to other staff/volunteers,” he says.