
Note: When NL News called today, Value Village says it has now shut down in Kamloops, until at least April 6th because of the virus.
A man with a 73-year-old mother who works at Value Village in Kamloops says he’s disappointed retail stores are still open.
Tim Kucharuk, a long-time radio broadcaster with CKRW in Whitehorse who is from Kamloops, says his mother went to work yesterday, against his wishes.
“She still says ‘well, I have to go to work, I have to keep enough hours to keep my benefits,’ and she’s really afraid that if she calls in, she’s going to get fired.”
Speaking on NL Newsday, Kucharuk says he’s concerned COVID-19 could be living on second-hand items.
“We keep telling her these are extraordinary circumstances. Your boss is going to understand, I hope they understand. When I saw the directive that the stores were going to stay open I kind of shook my head.”
While health officials in B.C. are advising people to stay home unless they have to leave, the province has not given a directive for all non-essential businesses to close down. Such orders have been made in other jurisdictions, including the City of Toronto, Washington state and California.