Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Tuesday morning that he tested negative for COVID-19 after contact with a confirmed case in his office, but he’s not heading back to meetings at city hall quite yet.
Watson went into isolation at his home on Friday after a staffer in his office tested positive for the virus. He said he was not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
The mayor was tested Sunday and told Global News he was expecting results on Monday.
He tweeted Tuesday morning that the test came back negative, but he’ll continue to work from home for another five days and monitor for symptoms. After that point, he’ll get another test and end his self-isolation if it’s negative again.
The mayor’s press secretary said Monday that it’s too early to say whether the initial case in his office is related to the Omicron variant of concern, which Ottawa Public Health said Monday night is sweeping rapidly through the city and affecting its contact tracing capabilities.
OPH says anyone who has been in contact with a confirmed case of the virus should immediately self-isolate, seek a test and not wait for a contact tracer’s call.