Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release

St. John's, NL (November 16, 2020) – David Brazil, PC Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Health and Community Services and MHA for Conception Bay East – Bell Island, is calling for mandatory point of entry testing in the wake of a positive COVID-19 case involving an essential worker from Russia on a Nalcor site.

Brazil says that, “The PC Official Opposition has been calling for point of entry testing for months and here we see another example of an essential worker from out of country test positive for COVID-19. The worker was non-symptomatic, worked two shifts at a Nalcor site, and then advised Nalcor that a family member in Russia had tested positive for COVID-19.”

According to public health orders, workers deemed essential by their employers with certain professions are not required to self-isolate if coming from out of province or country.

“There are two issues here to consider. Did this worker have expertise that isn’t available in Newfoundland and Labrador to justify bringing the individual into our province? Also, this person was non-symptomatic and was not required to self-isolate. Government should institute point of entry testing as an added safe guard,” says Brazil.

Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Communications and Digital Strategy

(p) 1.709.729.3668

BradleyRussell@gov.nl.ca

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