

Chris Fox, CP24.com





A Greater Toronto Area grocery chain will now require that all its employees wear face coverings and submit to regular temperature checks, becoming the latest retailer to take the drastic step.

Longo’s, which has 35 locations across the GTA, announced the new policy in a message posted to its website on Thursday.

The retailer says that it is implementing enhanced “wellness screening protocols” for its employees, which will involve them having to undergo a “contactless temperature check” at the beginning of each shift.

They say that the practice has already started for employees at its distribution centre and Grocery Gateway delivery service and is now being rolled out in stores as well.

While the temperature checks will mostly just be used for employees now, the company says that customers and suppliers visiting its three Vaughan stores will also be included. One of those stores, located at 9200 Weston Road, will reopen tomorrow after closing for two weeks following positive tests by eight staff members.

“The number one thing that we are dealing with is ensuring that we have the wellbeing of our team members and our customers at heart with every decision we make,” President and CEO Anthony Longo told CP24 on Thursday. “It seems like every day we are adding new precautions as we learn more.”

Longo’s says that all employees are also now required to wear face coverings or shields and customers are being “strongly encouraged” to do the same.

The announcement of the new policy comes just days after the T&T Supermarket chain began mandatory temperature checks for employees and voluntary temperature checks for customers at its stores across Canada. Tim Hortons also began requiring that employees wear masks and submit to temperature checks on Wednesday.