Asymptomatic testing centre set up in Brooks as 7% of city's population tests positive for COVID-19
Source: CBC News
May 9, 2020 - An outbreak at a nearby slaughterhouse, which has remained open, is linked to hundreds of cases
Provincial health officials will open a temporary second centre to test for COVID-19 in the southern Alberta city of Brooks, as an outbreak connected to a nearby slaughterhouse continues to grow.
The temporary testing centre will assess people who live in the city who are showing no COVID-19 symptoms. Appointments won't be required.
A total of 1,046 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Brooks, where an outbreak at the JBS Foods plant has seen a total of 600 confirmed and probable cases among its 2,500 workers — 89 active cases among workers (56 of those have been confirmed), 510 workers have recovered and one has died.
Brooks is home to roughly 15,000 people, meaning nearly seven per cent of the city's population has contracted COVID-19. Alberta Health Services said it can't confirm all cases in Brooks are directly connected to the facility.