Residents in Mississauga are unlikely to hear “the postman ring twice’” this week, as a mail facility is undergoing major testing after a COVID-19 outbreak.
Officials at Canada Post revealed Wednesday evening that Peel Public Health is now testing numerous employees at its Dixie Road sorting facility after a major outbreak, with 121 employees testing positive for COVID within the past three weeks.
Testing is being offered voluntarily at the site for employees, while all workers who tested positive for the virus being ordered to go into isolation, a company spokesperson said late Wednesday. “The (facility) is central to our entire national delivery and processing network, and the safety measured we have implemented nationwide are having an impact on our delivery service,” spokesperson Phil Legault said W e d n e d a y evening regarding the facility, which is located near the corner of Dixie and Eglinton Avenue.
Peel Public Health began testing of affected employees Tuesday but has not shutdown the facility and will allow operations to continue, Legault confirmed.
However, the impact of testing is expected to make a dent in service levels, he confirmed. “These measures, combined with record-breaking volumes, will continue to have an impact on service,” said Legault. “Canada Post will continue to work with Peel Public Health and take their direction as we work to do our very best to keep our people and Canadians safe.”
A union representative with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers also confirmed to Peel Weekly News that it is working to ensure the safety of its employees and will be working closely with Peel Public Health to ensure “the health and safety of our members.”
Last year, the facility faces a similar outbreak, when eight employees were confirmed to have the virus in April, prompting “precautionary deep cleaning” of the facility, which employs more than 3,500 workers. The Canada Post Gateway East facility, located at 4567 Dixie Road, as seen in an undated photograph.
