As Indigo's top priority remains on the health and
safety of its employees, the Company has implemented numerous
protocols including:
- Participation in the Employer Antigen Screening Pilot in its
distribution centres
- Paid sick leave and sick days for all employees during the
pandemic
- Retained the services of a corporate medical director to
review all COVID-19 health and safety protocols
TORONTO, Feb. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Indigo (TSX: IDG),
Canada's leading book and
lifestyle retailer, today announced additional measures to further
protect the health of its employees against COVID-19. Since
January 20th, 2021, Indigo has been
participating in the Employer Antigen Screening Pilot, a voluntary
eight-week program being led by the Ontario Ministry of Health,
with support from partner ministries, Public Health Ontario and
Ontario Health. Indigo's top priority remains the health and
safety of its employees, while delivering Canadians the first-class
customer service, safe ways to shop and wide assortment of product
offerings they are accustomed to.
"The health and well-being of our employees and customers has
always been our priority at Indigo. Throughout the various stages
of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken a number of actions to
protect our people as best we can and have implemented industry
leading health and safety policies with the help of medical
experts," said Sloane Cox, Vice
President of Human Resources, Retail and Distribution Centres,
Indigo. "We hope that by participating in the Employer Antigen
Screening Pilot in conjunction with our other protocols, that we
can further prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep all of our
employees and their families safe."
Antigen testing is yet another proactive measure taken by the
Company as a response to the increase of cases in regions close to
its distribution centres, and to help decrease the risk of exposure
to others through any asymptomatic carriers.
This onsite testing will be staffed and facilitated by
registered nurses provided by the company's health partner
DriverCheck Inc., a leading provider of workplace medical testing
and assessments in the country. In addition to following all
recommendations by provincial health authorities, Indigo has
retained DriverCheck's corporate medical director Dr. Jonathan Davids as its internal medical advisor
to review all Indigo health and safety policies and protocols
pertaining to COVID-19. This past fall, Indigo also partnered
with DriverCheck to provide secondary flu prevention clinics.
Any Indigo employee who tests positive for the coronavirus
(including at its distribution centres, retail locations, and head
office) will receive paid sick leave. Indigo has also implemented
paid support for employees awaiting COVID-19 test results or
self-isolating due to potential exposure. In addition to
these COVID-19 supports, and in an effort to encourage employees to
stay home when they are unwell, Indigo has implemented paid sick
time during the pandemic for all seasonal and part-time retail and
distribution centre employees. To date, the Company has not
had any cases of transmission of COVID-19 within the workplace.
Following the recommendations set by leading health officials
and Dr. Jonathan Davids, Indigo has
implemented multiple industry leading safety protocols throughout
the pandemic. These include enhanced cleaning protocols, including
regular disinfecting and sanitizing of high touch surfaces and
equipment, mandatory temperature checks in all three
distribution centres, mandatory electronic medical screening
questionnaires (through an in-house COVID-19 self assessment
application) for all staff to complete before attending work,
mandatory in-store masking for everyone over the age of two,
providing employees with the necessary PPE including 3 layer-masks
and gloves, and acrylic protective shields installed at cash desks
in-store. Indigo also limits in store capacity that is often
below government mandated levels, with strict physical distancing
measures in place.
Indigo continues to review and revise its policies and protocols
under the guidance of its medical director in order to keep its
staff and customers as safe as possible. For additional information
on Indigo's Health & Safety Policies, please visit indigo.ca
About Indigo
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is
a publicly traded Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (IDG). Indigo is the world's first Cultural Department
Store – a physical and digital meeting place inspired by and filled
with books, music, art, ideas, and beautifully designed lifestyle
products. Indigo believes in real books, in living life fully and
generously, in being kind to each other and that stories – big and
little – connect us. For more information on Indigo, visit
indigo.ca.
SOURCE Indigo Books & Music
Inc.