KITCHENER -- A migrant worker is speaking out about conditions on the farm he worked at in Norfolk County.

Luis Gabriel Flores worked at a Scotlynn Group farm. He tested positive for COVID-19 during an outbreak at the property and said his employer's handling of the situation led to the outbreak.

Flores also said he was fired and threatened with deportation after speaking to the media about the farm's conditions.

"The situation created the perfect conditions for the COVID-19 outbreak that made us ill," he said.

He said he was one of 199 workers who tested positive for the virus at the Norfolk County farm. He claimed the Scotlynn Group didn't take action when workers first started showing symptoms. He said the company only took things seriously when workers had to call an ambulance for a sick employee.

Flores' bunkmate, Juan Lopez Chaparro, died from the virus.

"The news shocked us, left us very saddened and also afraid of our lives," Flores said.

He said several workers wanted to take a day off to mourn Chaparro's death.

"The foreman came to threaten people, saying those who didn't want to work would be kept back and not paid for three days," Flores said.

Flores said he was confronted by the company's founder when he stayed home.

"He accused me of having spoken to the press and media and that they would be sending me back to Mexico the next morning," Flores said.

Scott Biddle with Scotlynn Group was unavailable for an interview, but told CTV News Kitchener in a phone conversation that the allegations are false.

He said workers were hospitalized as soon as they started showing COVID-19 symptoms. Biddle also said Flores wasn't fired, but instead disappeared. He added Flores was already planning to return to Mexico because he had a sick family member and didn't feel safe on the farm.

The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change said it stands behind Flores' statement to the Minister of Immigration and is demanding permanent resident status for all migrant workers.

The chair of the Haldimand-Norfolk Board of Health said they've asked the province for more help when migrant workers arrive.

"To take over the self-isolation, the quarantine period, burn out that virus on arrival," Board Chair Kristal Chopp said.

Flores said the workers are an essential part of the economy and society.

"We deserve the same rights," he said. "We should be treated with equality and respect."