March 31, 2020

Public Liquor Stores and Employees Taking Precautions During COVID-19 Pandemic

Provincially-owned liquor stores are implementing health and safety measures to protect their customers and employees against COVID-19 — a decision made following the provincial government’s announcement that all stores will remain open for the time being.

“Public liquor store employees are committed to providing high quality and safe service to all our customers during these difficult and rapidly changing times,” said Sharon Friess, chair of SGEU’s Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) bargaining committee.

In addition to increasing sanitizing practices, all public liquor stores across the province are putting the following measures in place:

• All employees are required to wear gloves.
• Payment terminals must be covered in plastic and regularly sanitized.
• Ongoing installation of plexi-glass shields at all cashier points.
• Any employee showing symptoms of COVID-19 is required to self-isolate for 14 days.
• The number of customers in the store at once will be limited.

“When purchasing alcohol, we encourage the people of Saskatchewan to please shop at a publicly-owned store,” said Friess. “All revenues from public liquor stores go right back to the government of Saskatchewan, to fund public services that are desperately needed at this critical time.”

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For further information, contact:

Sally Housser

Communications Officer

306.775-7877 (office)

306.533.9697 (cell)