MAC Cosmetics at Yorkdale Mall reports positive case of COVID-19

Another case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at Yorkdale Mall, this time in someone who works for the iconic Canadian makeup brand MAC.

Yorkdale management broke the news to shopping centre tenants on Monday, writing in a notice that "an employee at MAC Cosmetics has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently seeking medical care and self-isolating."

The employee was last at Yorkdale Shopping Centre on September 14, according to management, and the MAC store was closed on Monday for cleaning.

"We continue to follow direction from local health authorities — the building remains open," says Yorkdale, which has now seen infections confirmed among at least three mall employees: One at the JOEY restaurant, one at MAC, and one (or more) at Foot Locker.

Yorkdale says it took immediate action to mitigate any potential spread of the virus related to this latest case by disinfecting all areas the MAC employee is thought to have visited, including common areas and customer touch points.

All other staffers at the popular cosmetics store in Yorkdale have been asked to get tested for COVID-19, and must confirm a negative test result before returning to work.

anyone who has visited MAC at Yorkdale in the last 2 weeks, I urge you to self monitor for COVID or get tested 😳

— jenn (@_jennifart) September 21, 2020

For those familiar with stores like MAC, where product sampling is widely available and makeup artists regularly apply cosmetics to shoppers, the idea of an employee testing positive for the coronavirus is disturbing.

Fortunately, MAC has been taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID since reopening under Stage 2, just like most other retailers.

In-store makeup applications are currently suspended, according to the Toronto-born, internationally-renowned company. Instead, customers can use an AR-enabled "virtual try-on" tool.

"Self-sampling" is also off limits within stores and social distancing protocols are in place.

Given the way case numbers have been rising in Ontario over the past week, however, it may not even matter soon: The provincial government is set to announce a new plan today for dealing with a second wave of COVID-19 amid flu season.

Some restrictions lifted under Stage 3 of the province's reopening plan have already been put back into place on account of the recent resurgence: Gathering limits are now once again capped at 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors for all non-business environments.