KINGSTON, ON -- A second nail salon in Kingston, Ont. has been linked to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the city.
Kingdom Nails & Spa posted a message on its Facebook page Saturday, advising customers that the salon on Fortune Crescent would be temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for the disease.
"We are taking this matter very seriously and are working with KFLA Health Unit to ensure everyone’s safety. Although we have passed all regulations and did not violate [any] safety measures, we feel that it is our responsibility to ensure that this will not happen again. We will be closed until the Public Health department says that we can open," the post says.
Salons, barber shops and spas were allowed to reopen in eastern Ontario on June 12 as the region moved into Stage 2 of Ontario's COVID-19 reopening plan.
This comes just days after an outbreak of COVID-19 was linked to Binh's Nails & Spa. Six of 10 workers at the salon on Gardiners Road in Kingston tested positive last week, as did three clients and seven of their close contacts.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health spokesperson Jenn Fagan said the outbreak at Binh's is now linked to 22 positive cases.
"The second nail salon case is connected to Binh's Nail and Spa outbreak. This is still under investigation," Fagan said.
Kingdom Nails says their employee rents from Binh's, which is how she came into contact with the virus.
"She went to get tested the moment we found out about the outbreak. We are extremely sorry and do not wish this to happen to anyone," Kingdom Nails said.
More than 500 customers who visited Binh's Nail and Spa between June 12 and June 24 were asked to quarantine for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms, and to be tested if they develop them.
Anyone who has had close contact with the people who had tested positive is also in quarantine.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the owner of Binh's Nail and Spa salon, Binh Nguyen said, "We'd like to apologize that this happened. We encourage everyone who's been in our salon since the 12th to get tested."
On Friday, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore issued a public health order that will require a mask to be worn inside any indoor public setting.
