COVID-19 outbreak at Ottawa shelter linked to LTC workers, commission heard

An independent commission has heard that a COVID-19 outbreak at an Ottawa women's shelter was linked to two long-term care workers staying at the facility.

Dr. Jeff Turnbull, the medical director of Ottawa Inner City Health, described the situation in his testimony before the Long Term Care Covid-19 Commission in mid-December.

Turnbull says officials were trying to trace the source of the outbreak and realized the two infected residents were working outside of the shelter.

He says the pair couldn't earn enough through their work to afford Ottawa's rental market, and unknowingly brought the virus from long-term care into the shelter.

Turnbull says officials had to tell residents they didn't want them working outside the shelter, and had to tell the shelter's personal support workers they couldn't work at several sites — which, in turn, cut their income.

Lead commissioner Frank Marrocco, who is the Superior Court's associate chief justice, noted similarities between the shelter and long-term care systems in terms of the challenges they faced during the pandemic.