COVID staffing issues force LifeLabs to temporarily shut down several locations

We’ve been warned that COVID-related staff shortages will eventually affect everything from grocery stores to schools, and B.C. is now seeing a major medical lab chain temporarily close multiple locations across the province.

LifeLabs has also reduced hours at some locations,

“LifeLabs has made the difficult decision to temporarily close and/or adjust hours at select BC Patient Service Centres (PSCs) due to the spread of Omicron and related protocols which have resulted in severe employee impacts,” reads a statement from the company on its website.

“This is a temporary measure,” it adds, including a full list of affected locations.

A list of LifeLabs locations that temporarily closed or reduced hours due to staffing issues caused by COVID-19. (Screenshot via LifeLabs.com)

The company offers services like blood, ECG, and COVID-19 testing.

“This change was implemented to maintain consistent and reliable service for our customers and reduce increased pressure on our teams,” LifeLabs said in its online statement.

“To maintain service in the community, we will be re-deploying affected staff (from those sites) to nearby, central locations. Customers and healthcare providers will be re-directed to those nearby locations.”

It’s unclear if more locations will be shut down temporarily.

In the email, LifeLabs says it continues to monitor the situation to “determine if these sites will remain closed following the two-week period and/or if more sites may be impacted.”

Related articles: 

• B.C. businesses urged to have contingency plans to prevent Omicron spread

• B.C. healthcare workers brace for further COVID-19 strain on overwhelmed system

Earlier this month, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry urged businesses in B.C. to make contingency plans and anticipate a slew of absences due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Henry warned up to a third of the workforce could be out sick in the days and weeks ahead.

“The rate of transmission that we’re seeing now in British Columbia … means that at this point, most people in B.C. likely have a friend or family member or a colleague who has been infected with the Omicron variant,” Henry said Jan. 4.

“Omicron has the advantage and we see that in the rapidly increasing case numbers we’re seeing here.”