Ontario Construction News staff writer
With one construction shut down by a large COVID-19 outbreak this week, Kingston Public Health is prioritizing construction workers across the region for vaccines.
“Locally, transmission of COVID-19 at construction sites has been a concern,” said the local medical officer of health wrote in a memo to local construction companies. “As such, a local decision has been made to prioritize construction workers for immediate eligibility to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments.”
Construction workers can register for COVID-19 vaccinations today (May 10)
In addition to prioritizing vaccines, the health unit will also launch an asymptomatic testing strategy for local construction companies and projects.
The outbreak has infected at least 34 people and has spread to family members of some workers. There were about 110 workers onsite when the outbreak was declared last Tuesday, and over 800 subtrades from across the province had worked there over the past month.
CTV News reported Pomerleau Construction is working on the building, the Cataraqui Heights Retirement Residence, which is scheduled to open in the fall.
Construction work on the retirement home being constructed near Princess St and Midland Ave. has been paused and all workers have been advised to quarantine for 14 days.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Pomerleau said it is working to contain the outbreak.
“Our team was initially informed of the evolving situation on the weekend and immediately informed local and provincial health authorities as required, as well as rapidly informed the subcontractors, our employees, and the client. Our primary concern is to the health and safety of our employees, partners, subtrades, clients, and communities,” the statement said.
“We followed the steps set out in our emergency response plan to the pandemic as well as the recommendations of the local Public Health Authority. These steps include voluntary testing for all employees and trade partners on site. All employees who have tested positive and are deemed close contacts of those individuals are in isolation. We are monitoring the situation very closely and are working collaboratively with the local Public Health Authority, our subcontractors, and the client for the health and safety of all employees and workers.”
The construction was deemed essential under the province and has been allowed to continue under the current Ontario stay-at-home order.
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Union, which represents construction workers in the region, confirmed the outbreak to CTV News Ottawa.
Dr. Kieran Moore, medical officer of health for the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A), tweeted a warning May 3, warning the health unit was seeing “seeing widespread COVID-19 community activity” and that “transmission rates remain high in all age groups.”
According to public health officials, vaccinations for these workers will be made available at clinics being held at various locations in Kingston, including the INVISTA Centre, Memorial Centre, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), the Kingston Community Health Centre (KCHC), as well as the Strathcona Paper Centre (SPC) in Greater Napanee.
An online booking tool and instructions have been shared with local construction companies to disseminate to eligible workers.
Workers are asked to bring proof of employment to their appointment, which may include a staff ID or a paystub.
KFL&A Public Health identified construction workers as a priority group due to an elevated risk in Kingston with trade workers coming from other areas, both inside and outside of the province. Construction in Kingston “is a large workforce who work on the front line with many other people.”