Journal Staff
Local health officials are working to together to try and prevent a COVID-19 outbreak among temporary foreign farm workers.
A mobile outreach team is offering voluntary testing to all Sarnia-Lambton farms that hire foreign seasonal employees. It completed 86 COVID-19 tests at six farms the first two weeks.
Up to 300 temporary foreign workers are expected to travel to Sarnia-Lambton for seasonal work this year, based on reports from farm operators.
They have been advised not to move workers from one farm to another during their 14-day quarantine period.
Hundreds of temporary workers, many from Mexico, have been infected by the novel coronavirus while working at Canadian farms and greenhouses.
The local initiative is a partnership between Lambton Public Health, Bluewater Health, Lambton EMS, Ontario Health, and the Central Lambton Family Health Team.