SHOP ROW
B&M staff shocked after woman with ‘coronavirus symptoms’ collapses in store – and shoppers told ‘keep queuing’
by Hana Carter
SHOPPERS in B&M were told to "keep queuing" and pay for their goods after a woman with suspected coronavirus symptoms collapsed in the aisles.
The elderly woman was on the floor for around 90 minutes as the store in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, emptied and paramedics rushed to her aid.
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Customers were allegedly told by B&M staff to go to the tills and pay as the shocking incident unfolded.
Senior management instructed the B&M store to reopen as soon as the floor was mopped, as they still had 30 minutes left before the store was set to close.
Staff raised concerns to Grimsbylive whether adequate cleaning had been done if the woman was suffering from coronavirus symptoms.
The woman was rushed to the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital by ambulance after she collapsed at around 4.20pm on Saturday.
As paramedics arrived, she told them that she had coronavirus symptoms and a test showed that she had a high temperature of 37.2C.
Shoppers were still in the store as the woman was taken to hospital.
A staff member said: "After contacting our area manager to find out what to do, he said to clean up the shop where she had been and reopen again.
"Also, the original announcement over the Tannoy was encouraging people to head to the tills and pay for their items before leaving, rather than just asking them to leave immediately."
A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 4.31pm on 23 May to a medical emergency at B&M Bargains, Victoria Street in Grimsby.
"The caller reported a medical emergency. We sent an ambulance and one patient was taken to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital."
When approached for guidelines regarding customers collapsing in-store, the British Retail Consortium said that they did not have any specific guidance, but recommends stores follow government advice on how to decontaminate an area after a suspected Covid-19 case.
This includes thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces a symptomatic person has came in contact with.
B&M has declined to comment.