Preventive Closing of Three Stores in Blainville and Mirabel

Montreal, July 29, 2020 – After eight of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 recently, the SAQ has announced the preventive closing of three stores on Montreal’s North Shore.

The following stores are affected:

• SAQ Sélection, 259 De la Seigneurie Blvd. West, Blainville, J7C 4N3
• SAQ Dépôt, 1395 Michèle-Bohec Blvd., Blainville, J7C 0M4
• SAQ Classique, 13370 Curé-Labelle Blvd., Mirabel, J7J 1G9

In compliance with public health guidelines, each of the stores will be deep cleaned by a specialized firm. In addition, all employees who have worked in the stores in recent days will be required to preventively self-isolate and take a COVID-19 screening test as soon as possible. The three stores will remain closed until further notice.

The SAQ notes that this exceptional measure applies only to the above three stores. All other SAQ stores remain open.

Although public health contact tracing has not identified any customers who should preventively self-isolate, the SAQ encourages everyone who visited one of the three stores recently to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.

For more information or should symptoms occur, call 1‑877-644-4545 or visit the website https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/

Reminder of the mitigation measures implemented by the SAQ From the start of the crisis, the SAQ has strictly complied with all recommendations issued by public health authorities. It has also applied the required protocol for all confirmed COVID-19 cases. When employees tell their reporting officer that they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, they are encouraged to preventively self-isolate, as are the employees who work alongside them.

"The safety of our employees and customers is of paramount importance and all the measures necessary to ensure it have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Jacques Farcy, Vice-President, Sales Network Operations, at the SAQ. “That is why we didn’t hesitate when deciding to close the three stores today or to be completely open with our employees, customers and the general public about this exceptional measure."

For more information about the mitigation measures implemented by the SAQ in response to the pandemic, see https://www.saq.com/en/covid19-mitigation-measures.

About the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ)
Created in 1921, the SAQ imports, distributes and sells a broad range of wines, beers and spirits. Its sales network comprises 410 stores and 426 agency stores located throughout Quebec and a transactional website, SAQ.com. Driven by the passion and know-how of its 7,000 employees, the SAQ offers Quebecers a world of discovery, with more than 35,000 products from 3,700 suppliers in 80 countries. In fiscal 2019-2020, the SAQ supported some 3,000 organizations and events and paid a dividend of $1.226 to the Government of Quebec, while also ensuring its business activities respected local communities and the environment.