Toronto Health Officials Say 550 People May Have Been Exposed To Covid-19 At A Strip Club

On Friday, Toronto public health officials urged hundreds of people who attended a strip club last week to self-isolate for 14 days after a club employee tested positive for Covid-19.

Officials issued the first warning of it’s kind since nightclubs and restaurants were allowed to reopen on July 31st. While they would not elaborate on whether or not the Brass Rail strip club employee was a dancer or other staff member, they did reveal that the employee worked on August 4th, 5th, and 7th.

Officials are now working to contact club-goers who provided their information upon entry as a part of the required customer log that establishments keep in response to the pandemic.

“I feel sorry for people when they go to their house and tell them that they were at the Brass Rail,’ Ontario Premier Doug Ford said to reporters. “That’s who I feel sorry for. Sorry for the spouse, seriously. Man, I wouldn’t want to be on the end of that one.”

550 people may have been exposed to the virus, which resulted in the club being issued a notice of noncompliance. The city is now working to ensure social distancing measures are followed while patrons are in the club.

In a statement released on their Instagram, the club said: “The Brass Rail closed its doors immediately when we heard that an employee may have tested positive for COVID-19. The safety of our city, staff, and patrons is always our top priority. It turned out to be only one isolated case, and that case was quickly contained. All of our staff were subsequently tested, and all tests have come back negative. The Brass Rail has strict safety precautions in place, but as an added measure, we closed our establishment for another 72 hours on our own accord without direction from anyone. Our safety measures continue to go above and beyond to ensure our valued staff & patrons are always kept secure and safe.”