Quebec farm advised to use more 'stable' workforce after COVID-19 outbreak
Source: CTV News
Montreal, June 12 2020 - A COVID-19 outbreak among temporary foreign workers and other employees of a Quebec agricultural company has raised concerns about health risks when farm workers move between multiple work sites.
The public health authority for the region south of Montreal says it told the company, Vegpro International, to use a more "stable" workforce after nearly two dozen workers recently tested positive for COVID-19.
The 23 workers, including 18 temporary foreign workers, were working at the facility in Sherrington, Que., which ships produce to Canada and the northeastern United States.
The health authority, CISSS Monteregie-Centre, has recommended that the company "ensure a better stability of workers, including those from agencies" according to spokeswoman Chantal Vallee.
That would "limit the number of contacts (between workers)," Vallee said, and allow the company to "build a registry that can be used to track the outbreak."
"We're following the situation closely," Vallee added.
The use of placement agencies to staff workplaces during the COVID-19 outbreak has drawn considerable attention in Quebec, which is the epicentre of the pandemic in Canada.