The President and CEO of Windsor Hospital says there needs to be a push for temporary foreign workers to be tested for COVID-19.
David Musyj says local healthcare organizations are really going “out of their lane” to make sure everybody has the opportunity to be tested, but without the cooperation of employers, the situation is only going to get worse.
"This is going slow and we're trying, we’re trying, we're trying but it has to pick up some steam otherwise, this is just going to continue," he says.
Speaking on AM800's The Morning Drive, Musyj also says while he hopes the region can move onto Stage 2, it also concerns him.
"But I hope also getting into Stage 2, doesn't take the focus off this issue and that's the other thing I'm concerned about,” he says. “But we'll take one step at a time, but we have to emphasize that as well but please, please, please do not take your focus off this issue."
Musyj says people need to consider that following guidelines from health officials isn't even necessarily about protecting yourself.
"You yourself might be health and can cope but it's who you spread it to might not be so lucky, he adds. “So, it's a struggle, it's a struggle the United States is going through that Dr. Fauci indicated people are saying 'oh, this could be the second wave' in the United States and he said no, we're not out of the first one yet, this is just the first wave continuing."
When asked about it last week, Premier Doug Ford said he can't force anybody to take a test but is desperately pleading with the agri-farm sector employers to work with their temporary foreign worker population to get tested.
A COVID-19 assessment centre in Leamington closed last week after only 724 workers were tested since it opened June 9th.