club paradise toronto

Strip club in Toronto closed after 6 employees test positive for COVID-19

The Toronto strip club that inspired one of Drake's Drakiest-ever tracks (Club Paradise) has voluntarily closed, according to public health officials, on account of a COVID-19 outbreak among staff members and at least one patron.

Club Paradise, located at 1313 Bloor Street West, announced its two-week-long shutdown on Sept. 12 after learning that six employees and one customer had recently tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.

Toronto Public Health issued a release on Sunday to warn anyone who may have visited the west-end club between Aug. 29 and Sept. 10 of potential exposure.

"Since September 4, seven people who tested positive for COVID-19 are confirmed to have been at this establishment between August 29 and September 10," reads the Toronto Public Health notice.

"Of the seven cases, six are employees and one is a patron. For this reason, the risk to patrons is considered low."

This is the largest reported outbreak of COVID-19 among employees at a public venue in since bars, restaurants and strip clubs got the okay to reopen in Toronto on July 31.

Health officials have followed up with all known close contacts of the people infected, and notified everyone who appeared in the establishment's mandatory contact tracing logs during the affected period.

This process proved difficult for Toronto Public Health last month when attempting to follow up with patrons of the Brass Rail strip club after two cases of COVID-19 were linked to the venue.

Public health officers were able to contact only 157 of 441 individuals listed in the Brass Rail's contact log, noting that the rest had provided fake names or phone numbers.

Unlike the Brass Rail, Club Paradise was found during two separate inspections on Aug. 20 and Sept. 5 to "be in compliance with all reopening protocols." Still, TPH says it has yet to contact some 300 recent Paradise attendees due to "incomplete contact tracing log information." 

The club is set to resume operations on September 26 after a voluntary 14-day-long shutdown, but Mayor John Tory told CP24 Monday morning that perhaps it (and all other) strip clubs should stay closed for a while.

"Maybe it'd be better if they all closed and then we wouldn't have to worry about this," he said. "It's ironic that small theatres that can't open for performances yet these places are open for what they offer – and I'm not making a judgment on that I am just commenting on the nonsensical nature of that."

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