Niagara public health says it’s investigating an outbreak of COVID-19 at a greenhouse in St Catharines in which 20 cases of the affliction were confirmed on Sunday night.
The agency says a number of positive and asymptomatic employees from Pioneer Flower Farms in St. Catharines are now isolating at home, while testing is underway for the remaining employees who have either been isolated or are working separately from others.
“While this workplace poses no particular risk to the broader community, it is a reminder that although Niagara has had success in reducing COVID-19, persons are still becoming ill with the infection,” said Mustafa Hirji, Acting Medical Officer of Health.
Public health says the greenhouse has increased cleaning and disinfection routines and is being monitored for further signs of infection.
In a statement on Monday, the agency said there was no increased risk to customers of Pioneer Farms and that outbreak poses no significant risk to the wider community.
In a Facebook post on Sunday night, Pioneer Farms said the outbreak was the result of three employees testing positive for the virus in mid to late-May which prompted the testing of 80 plus workers.
“On Friday, May 29th, we asked for all of our employees to be tested, as we wanted to put preventative measures in place to stop the spread of asymptomatic employees,” the greenhouse said in its post.
Pioneer said results on Sunday night revealed at least 18 other people were positive or asymptomatic for the virus.
The business on Seventh Street says it has sent the affected workers home to self-isolate for two weeks with pay.
News of the outbreak contributed to a spike in reported COVID-19 cases for Niagara Region on Monday as 23 new cases were added with the region’s total number at 666.
Niagara has four current institutional outbreaks at two retirement homes (Albright Manor in Lincoln, and West Park Health Centre in St. Catharines), one long-term-care home (Royal Rose Place in Welland), and at one unit of the Greater Niagara General Hospital.
The region had no new deaths since last week and has 59 deaths in total, with 48 tied to nursing homes or retirement residences.
Three-quarters of the regions total cases — 559— have been resolved, according to public health.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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