Interior Health has confirmed five additional cases of COVID-19 related to an outbreak involving temporary foreign workers at a West Kelowna agricultural business, bringing the total number of cases to 19. The five cases stem from results that were still pending following the initial announcement of the outbreak on March 31.
On April 1, Dr. Silvina Mema, one of IHsa国际传媒檚 medical health officers, stated 27 workers at Bylands Nurseries Ltd. have been tested for the virus since the outbreak was identified. A total of 19 tests came back positive. All 75 workers sa国际传媒� 63 migrant and 12 local sa国际传媒� exposed to the virus have been self-isolating since the first case was confirmed on March 24.
On March 27, a second case was identified in a separate housing unit which caused IH to deem an outbreak.
Migrant workers are isolating on the property while the local workers have gone to their homes.
sa国际传媒淲e are doing as much as we can to continue to support our guest workers, ensuring that they have the food and supplies they need while in isolation,sa国际传媒� said Mike Byland, vice president of sales and human resources at Bylands Nurseries Ltd, adding the company has partnered with Sysco to arrange food deliveries.
sa国际传媒淲e continue to work closely with Interior Health to support these individuals and to ensure all of our sanitation processes, operational practices and employee housing situations meet or exceed their recommendations. We are also working with Interior Health and the consulates to ensure our guest workers can return to work at an appropriate time.sa国际传媒�
Dear friends and customers,We want to thank you all for your continued support during this time.The health and...
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Further testing is not planned and Mema does not anticipate any more cases to be confirmed.
Mema said the workers arrived at the farm between January and early March, with the most recent arrivals coming on March 12 sa国际传媒� at which time Mema said the measures suggesting a two-week isolation period had not yet been implemented.
She said public interaction with the group was extremely minimal leading up to the isolation, as the group works and lives on the farm and groceries were delivered to them. None of the workers were involved in customer service.
However, Mema said people should still be behaving as though they could potentially be exposed.
sa国际传媒淭his virus has arrived sa国际传媒� and not just to West Kelowna or Kelowna,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 across the interior and across B.C.sa国际传媒�
READ MORE: Outbreak of COVID-19 at West Kelowna agricultural business; 14 cases confirmed
READ MORE: sa国际传媒榃e will get through thissa国际传媒�: B.C. sees new COVID-19 death, but 57% have recovered
michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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