Chatham-Kent's medical officer of health is surprised the federal government isn't directing temporary foreign workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 upon entry into Canada, if they aren't already.
Dr. David Colby said Ottawa has just rolled out a new plan to try and keep foreign workers safe from the virus but it doesn't include vaccinations for that group when they arrive in Canada.
Colby said the public health unit in Chatham-Kent is working through the new plan to determine if there are any health and safety changes required locally but added he's amazed that immediate vaccinations for migrant farm workers are not included in the federal plan.
"I'm aghast that there's no plan to vaccinate these workers as soon as they arrive in Canada if they have not been vaccinated already," he said.
Colby said over the past year there have been 45 travel-related COVID-19 cases among people coming from another country to work in Chatham-Kent and some of the cases could be migrant farm workers. He said the sooner these workers get vaccinated the better.
Foreign workers are also subject to federal quarantine, which will make it easier to control the potential spread. Colby pointed out that there have been many COVID-19 outbreaks among temporary foreign workers in Chatham-Kent and Windsor-Essex over the past year but mainly because workers moved around between neighbouring jurisdictions.
Foreign workers are included in Phase 2 of the provincial COVID-19 vaccination plan and Colby anticipates foreign workers in Chatham-Kent will start to get vaccinated in early April if everything goes according to plan. Colby said he doesn't know quite yet how many foreign workers have arrived in Chatham-Kent.
The province is also hosting a webinar on Monday afternoon to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks and better protect farm and agri-food workers.
"With the upcoming growing season dependent on agricultural workers, it is imperative they are kept safe so they are able to work,” said Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls. "I appreciate the efforts that the Ministry of Agriculture are making to keep growers and workers both informed."
The session will prepare workplaces for the upcoming growing season and advise them of best-practices to manage the risk of COVID-19. The webinar will be hosted by Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Randy Pettapiece, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister, and MPP Nicholls. It will also introduce tools and resources to assist farms and agri-food operators to implement best practices, including access to up to two days of individualized consulting and training services by Workplace Safety and Prevention Services experts for their business.
The webinar starts at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Click here to register.
