(January 6, 2022) – Tony Wakeham, PC MHA for Stephenville-Port au Port, is sending his concern to the families affected by an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Bay St. George Long Term Care Centre.

“The situation unfolding at the Bay St. George Long Term Care Centre is deeply troubling. My heart is with the families feeling anxious and uncertain at this time and I’m hopeful for a safe recovery of those affected,” said Wakeham.

“There are dedicated frontline staff in the facility who are now positive through the course of doing their job. I wish them a speedy recovery and thank them for their dedication to the residents of the facility.”

The first positive case was identified in December 31, according to Western Health. Western Health announced greater visitor restrictions on Thursday.

“I’m concerned about the response to this outbreak and the length of time between first detection and the announcement of the restrictions today. Government needs to explain what happened to prevent spread of this virus after initial detection,” said Wakeham.

“The scale of this outbreak amongst the residents and staff of the facility is disturbing. Once this difficult situation resolves, the public deserves to understand the challenges in the Bay St. George Long Term Care Facility and in other Long Term Care Facilities around the province in the face of COVID-19.”

Wakeham says the facility is among the oldest in Newfoundland and Labrador, being built in the 1970s. Wakeham questions whether the age of the facility made it more difficult to stem the spread.

“The facility has needed replacement for years now. There are close quarters in the facility that can make it difficult to maintain distance. Shared facilities, shared bathrooms cannot have helped stem the spread of the virus through the facility,” said Wakeham.

“I’m hopeful for the recovery of everyone feeling the affects of this situation. I hope government can answer some serious questions about Long Term Care and COVID-19 through this Omicron outbreak.”

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Contacts:

David Maher

Director of Strategic Communications

(cell) 709-725-0984

DavidMaher@gov.nl.ca