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Southwestern Public Health is alerting the public after several fake signs were posted at businesses in St. Thomas recently, purporting to be from the health unit and warning of an outbreak.
The health unit was notified on Friday afternoon about the signs, which had been posted in at least three retail businesses in the city, said Susan MacIsaac, director of health protection with the health unit.
“Local businesses (said) that an individual came into their place of work and said that they were a representative of Southwestern Public Health, and wanted to post some outbreak signs in their workplace,” MacIsaac said.
The person has not been identified, and it’s not clear what their motive may have been. It doesn’t appear that the individual was wearing anything indicating their affiliation with Southwestern Public Health.
The fake signs posted resemble those sometimes found in healthcare settings, with messaging about proper hand hygiene and staying current on vaccinations.
A handwritten message on the poster states that the outbreak is caused by the “6I-9 virus” and advises “stay in if you can!”
“That doesn’t resonate with me at all,” MacIsaac said. “I couldn’t find anything when I searched myself for what they could be referring to.”
“That doesn’t resonate with me at all,” Susan MacIsaac said of the virus mentioned on the fake poster. “I couldn’t find anything when I searched myself what they could be referring to.” (Southwestern Public Health)
MacIsaac says the matter was reported to St. Thomas police. In an email on Tuesday, a police spokesperson said the investigation had closed “as there was no criminal offence committed.”
“The individual’s identity and their reasoning for posting the signage is unknown,” the spokesperson said.
In the case of legitimate outbreaks, MacIsaac says the health unit follows a specific process and works closely with affected sites to deliver messaging through appropriate channels, such as the health unit website or the media.
“We wouldn’t go door-to-door with posters and target certain businesses,” she said.
“The public, if there’s ever any question in their mind, or they ever question something they see, by all means, they should reach out to the health unit to confirm.”