3 Haldimand-Norfolk migrant farm workers are in hospital with symptoms of COVID-19

Three Haldimand-Norfolk migrant farm workers are in hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 — and one has tested positive for the virus.

The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit said Friday there is an outbreak at a local farm, but won't say whether the farm is in Haldimand or Norfolk. Paramedics are at the farm testing other workers, the health unit said in a media release.

It's also "working closely with the farm operator to formulate a public health management plan."

The presence of COVID-19 among farm workers has been a dreaded scenario in the area, where nearly 4,000 workers arrive each year to help with the bounteous farms in Haldimand and Norfolk counties. 

Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, the area's medical officer of health, has drawn criticism for his Section 22 orders requiring farm workers to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. He also ordered that only three workers could stay in a bunkhouse during quarantine, regardless of the bunkhouse's floor space. The rest are housed in local hotels.

The health unit also distributed voluntary identification cards for the workers, but has since walked that back after it drew comparisons to racially-based carding.

Norfolk farmer Brett Schuyler has appealed the bunkhouse occupancy order to the Ontario Health Services Appeal and Review Board. Today was the fifth day of testimony. 

In St. Thomas, seven migrant workers at Ontario Plant Propagation have tested positive for COVID-19, and 33 more are awaiting test results. In Windsor-Essex this week, 35 agricultural workers tested positive within two days.

Overall, Haldimand and Norfolk has 50 residents who are confirmed to have COVID-19 right now. Since the pandemic started, 217 have been diagnosed with the virus. Of those, 136 people have recovered and 31 have died. 

Hamilton

Hamilton has 171 known active cases of COVID-19 right now, down from 185 on Thursday. All told, there have been 674 cases so far (667 confirmed, seven probable). Of those, 467 people have recovered, and a 64-year-old man in the community has died, which brings the fatalities to 36.

In comparison, Hamilton had seen 664 cases on Thursday, of which 444 people had recovered and 35 had died. There are still six institutional outbreaks.

At a media briefing Friday, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson says the city is ramping up testing as part of a province-wide initiative to test anyone with symptoms. Previously, the city would have tested 70 to 90 people at its drive-thru assessment centre. Now, it's testing about 150 people per day there. 

Here's how to get tested.

Brant

Brant/Brantford has fewer than 10 known active cases right now. All told, 108 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and 95 have recovered and four have died. Three people are in hospital right now.

One more person has recovered since Thursday.

Halton

There are 129 people in Halton who are known to have COVID-19. Of those, 20 are in Burlington.

To date, there have been 709 cases (635 confirmed, 74 probable) in Halton, up from 703 Thursday. Twenty-five people have died and 555 people have recovered, which is also consistent with Thursday's numbers.

Burlington has seen 136 COVID-19 cases (121 confirmed, 15 probable), including seven deaths and 109 recoveries. Two more Burlington residents have recovered since Thursday.

There is an outbreak at Creek Way Village in Burlington (two residents).

Niagara

Thirty-six Niagara residents are known to have COVID-19 right now, down from 10 on Thursday. One more person has tested positive in the last 24 hours, for a total of 636 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic. Of those 636 cases, 541 people have recovered and 59 have died. 

On Thursday, Niagara had seen 635 confirmed cases.

There are six institutional outbreaks.