Dr. Bonnie Henry, the medical health officer in B.C., confirmed that there has been a COVID-19 outbreak at the United Poultry Company Ltd. facility, with 28 employees infected.
The plant has been closed and close contacts have been notified.
She said there isn’t any evidence that COVID-19 can be spread by consuming chicken or meat but added it is still important to follow proper cooking and hygiene measures when handling poultry.
There are 25 new COVID-19 cases in B.C., bringing the total to 1,724, with 319 cases in long-term care and assisted living facilities. There are also 76 cases at the Mission Institution, a medium security correctional facility.
Alberta
Alberta will now be posting the location and facility name of continuing care, long-term care and acute care sites dealing with an active COVID-19 outbreak.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, confirmed that something is considered an “outbreak” if there is a site with two or more cases of the virus. An outbreak is declared over when there have been four weeks with no new cases reported.
She also reminded people in the province that wearing a non-surgical mask can help prevent droplets being spread, if someone is asymptomatic and cannot maintain a safe two-metre distance, but it does not replace hygiene measures like hand-washing and not touching your face. These masks also need to be worn properly to be effective.
A total of 187 new cases were reported in Alberta, bringing the total to 3,095, with two additional deaths. Dr. Hinshaw confirmed 1,273 people have recovered.
Nova Scotia
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, clarified statements made on Monday about families holding funeral and memorial services in the province, following the deadly shooting over the weekend.
He confirmed that under the public health rules, funerals or memorial services can happen for immediate family if they can get together in numbers of five or less. This information is being communicated to funeral directors across the province.
In Nova Scotia, there has been one additional death related to COVID-19, which occurred at the Northwood long-term care facility in Halifax. A total of 112 residents and 40 employees have tested positive at Northwood.
