In the wake of a workplace outbreak in Chatham-Kent, Dr. David Colby is considering issuing another class order to prevent bringing in contract workers from other jurisdictions.
The Chief Medical Officer says it opens the door to a further spread.
“Contracted workers were brought in from Windsor-Essex, which started that off,” Colby says. “It’s not illegal, but is highly discouraged in all of the guidelines. I’m looking at that now to maybe tighten up on that.”
In terms of a potential class order, Colby says nothing is set in stone right now because the wording has to be very precise.
A spiderweb of COVID-19 cases across Chatham-Kent stems from the workplace to virtually all of the current cases in schools.
“These are not community cases, they are all related to workplace outbreaks, basically family and friends,” Colby says. “This seems to be a fairly large outbreak that we’re dealing with.”
So far there are 16 confirmed cases at the workplace, 12 of which are Chatham-Kent residents. Colby says there are close to 60 tests still waiting to be processed from swabs done on Wednesday alone.
Colby still won’t give any significant identifying information on the workplace itself, but says he expects the company will be issuing its own news release in the near future.
He would confirm some of the positive cases are migrant workers, but says they are victims rather than the cause of the virus’ spread.
As far as the school cases go, officials from the LKDSB say a total of 170 students have been dismissed to quarantine in all of the affected, along with roughly a dozen staff. Director of Education John Howitt says, however, that number may rise as more contact tracing is being done with the most recent schools affected.
At the SCCDSB, 21 students and two staff are now in isolation.
