KITCHENER -- The number of migrant workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 at a Norfolk County farm has risen to 164.
After the first diagnosis last week, the other 217 migrant workers at Scotlynn Farms were also tested.
The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit says 164 tests came back positive and 53 were negative for the virus.
Seven of the workers are currently in the hospital receiving medical treatment and two of those are in intensive care.
In a statement released Tuesday night, the health unit says that “in an effort to hasten the recovery of the people currently residing in residences, approximately 100 individuals have been relocated to hotels.”
The Brant County Health Unit has confirmed that those workers are staying in Brantford.
All of them have been told to remain in their rooms while they self-isolate.
The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is in the process of contacting individuals in the community who may have been in close contact with any infected workers. They say some people have already been tested and are currently in self-isolation.
Two other farms in southern Ontario have recently reported COVID-19 outbreaks – one in St. Thomas and the other in Niagara Falls.
Earlier this week Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, said more needed to be done to avoid these situations.
“We have to put out guidance for temporary foreign workers, for medical officers. I think we need to learn from our experiences and consider whether we should be looking at different policies for next year.”
Premier Doug Ford has already stated that he wants to ramp up COVID-19 testing for migrant workers.
