2 coronavirus outbreaks at long-term care facilities in Hastings, Prince Edward counties

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) has announced two new coronavirus outbreaks at long-term care facilities in its catchment area.

Two staff members at Hastings Manor in Belleville, Ont., and one staff member at Hallowell House in Prince Edward County have confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, according to the public health unit.

The two COVID-19 outbreaks in the region were identified on April 2.

The public health unit says both long-term care facilities have since instituted outbreak control measures and have asked all remaining staff members to self-monitor for symptoms.

“Staff have undertaken enhanced cleaning of the home, including extra housekeeping staff to do more frequent cleaning, especially for high-touch areas such as doorknobs, handrails, common areas, staff rooms and seating areas,” Hastings Prince Edward Public Health said.

Hastings County originally announced the outbreak at Hastings Manor in Belleville on April 1, but the public health unit did not announce either outbreak until the evening of April 2.

“HPEPH does not typically release statements about these situations until the employer has had the opportunity to notify their staff and provide their own statement. However, HPEPH is legally required to post notice of outbreaks in local long-term care homes and retirement homes,” the public health unit said in a news release.

The public health unit said it will be posting new outbreaks on a special outbreaks page on its website in an effort to be “transparent.”

As of Friday morning, there are 16 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 272 people with probable cases of the disease in Hastings and Prince Edward counties.