WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is reporting 21 new COVID-19 cases in the region.
Seventeen of the new cases are in the agri-farm sector, three are close contacts and one is under investigation.
Health unit CEO Theresa Marentette says the agri-sector cases are at one farm.
“We were aware of one case in the farm and as is our practice we would look at the close contacts, which are essentially in bunkhouses," says Marentette. "So all of the high-risk close contacts are isolated and tested. It’s a result of that testing that the numbers have increased so rapidly.”
She says the high-risk contacts have been tested and removed to hotels, under cooperation of the farm owner.
“We are working with the farm, our inspections team is out there and they do have good practices in place,” adds Marentette.
She says there could be more cases because they are doing more testing.
As of Friday, Windsor-Essex has had a total of 2,689 confirmed cases of the virus since March, including 2577 people who have recovered.
There are 57 active cases and two people are in the hospital.
Aside from the one outbreak at the agricultural facility in Kingsville, there are no other outbreaks in long term care or retirement homes.
There have been 76 deaths related to COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex. Fifty-three deaths are related to residents in retirement or long-term care homes and two are related to migrant workers.
