Check against delivery

Good afternoon.

Today, I’d like to provide an update on COVID-19 and the meat-processing plant outbreaks in our province.

First, for the general update, we have done 3,494 tests over the last 24 hours.

From these, the number of confirmed cases has increased by 70, to a total of 5,963 in Alberta.

3,552 of these have now recovered from COVID-19.

I am sad to report the total number of deaths has increased by six, bringing our total to 112.

Once again, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to these families.

Our thoughts go out to everyone who loved these individuals, and all those grieving their loss today.

As of today, there have been 632 cases of COVID-19 in continuing care facilities across the province.  We continue to do everything possible to protect the residents and staff at these facilities.

At the Cargill facility, there are now 946 cases in workers, with 798 that have now recovered.

There have also been 566 cases among workers at the JBS plant in Brooks. Of these, 434 have now recovered.

Finally, at Harmony Beef, there are 38 confirmed cases, including 12 who have now recovered.

I want to be clear that we are monitoring each of these outbreaks very closely, working with operators to contain the spread, and making sure that all public health measures are being enforced and being taken seriously.

We are also making sure to support workers to contain the spread in all settings, as a focus on just a single work site will not stop an outbreak.

I know many are concerned about these outbreaks and the reopening of Cargill on May 4.

I’d like to briefly go over the measures that have been implemented to date to protect the health and safety of workers going forward.

Alberta Health Services and Occupational Health and Safety are both visiting each outbreak site regularly to ensure control measures are implemented, and to provide ongoing advice and support.

All meat processing facilities in Alberta with outbreaks underway have implemented safety controls that meet requirements identified by AHS, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Occupational Health and Safety legislation and my orders.

These controls are tailored in the facilities to address the needs of the situation and operation.

For example controls in place include:

  • staff temperature check and symptom checks before entering the facility
  • face masks and other personal protective equipment provided to employees and worn at all times
  • enhanced cleaning and sanitizing practices
  • staggered breaks and shift flexibility to prevent gatherings
  • installing additional sinks where needed to ensure that handwashing can be done while distancing is maintained,
  • and increasing distance between employees to ensure 2 metres of separation.

I have received assurance from OHS on-site that these controls are in place and they meet the requirements outlined by public health orders.

In addition, Alberta Health Services has conducted three inspections at Cargill, four at JBS and two at Harmony Beef. I have confidence in my public health colleagues who are doing this work.

We will continue to communicate with operators and affected staff at these sites.

The Alberta government has hosted a telephone town hall for those affected by the Cargill outbreak to respond to concerns and questions from workers, employers and the broader community.

AHS has also hosted virtual townhalls for employees, providing information in multiple languages.

I know there are many questions as to what led to such significant outbreaks.

I have been told that investigations into Cargill and JBS are now being conducted by Occupational Health and Safety.

This will include investigations of any potential non-compliance that may have affected the health and safety of workers at the facility.

Complex investigations, such as this one, can take a significant amount of time to complete. I’ve been assured that more information will be shared as this situation evolves.

What I can say is that whenever an exposure occurs in any setting, new cases can be seen for up to two weeks after that exposure, even if all outbreak measures are implemented.

We also know that transmission can happen at multiple settings – worksite as well as off the worksite.

Testing is essential to managing outbreaks. To help prevent the spread in the communities themselves, we have established assessment centres for staff and community members in both Brooks and High River.

Testing is being offered to all workers in outbreaks, including those without symptoms.

I want to emphasize that the health and safety of these workers, and Albertans, remains our first priority.

If any worker feels like their safety concerns are not being addressed by their employer, I encourage them to contact the Occupational Health and Safety contact centre.

I know that Albertans want these outbreaks to be over immediately. If I had the power to do so, I would make that happen. Unfortunately, this virus is like a forest fire. Once it has started to spread, there are no simple or immediate ways to put it out. It takes time and hard work, and proven practices that slow the spread.

We are making progress.  We will win this fight.

We have implemented lessons learned at Cargill at other worksites that are experiencing outbreaks to be sure that every effort is made to prevent spread.

As we look forward to resuming normal activities later this May, it is critical that Albertans, including workers, continue to maintain physical distancing, practice good hand hygiene and sanitizing measures both at the worksite and outside the worksite.

Employers are required to put measures in place to protect their employees from spread.

As always, we are all in this together and everyone’s work counts.

Thank you. I’d be happy to take questions.