CK's Medical Officer of Health said an order issued to all owners and/or operators of agricultural operations in Chatham-Kent stemmed from a request by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health.
The order was issued on Wednesday to protect temporary foreign workers and the community from the spread of COVID-19. Dr. David Colby said it's a coordinated provincial effort.
Colby said the order just makes all CK farm and greenhouse directives and memos legally binding and doesn't significantly change any current virus prevention practices. Failure to comply with the order can result in a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual or a maximum fine of $25,000 for a corporation for every day the offence occurs or continues.
Colby said migrant worker outbreaks in Windsor-Essex and Norfolk County are terrifying and this order is necessary to decrease or eliminate the risks to health associated with the COVID-19.
"We have a large number of migrant workers in Chatham-Kent. So, that potential for that kind of meteoric spread does exist," he said.
Colby doesn't want another outbreak of COVID-19 among migrant workers in CK.
"We're fresh off the Greenhill outbreak which still represents two-thirds of the cases that Chatham-Kent has experienced in total and took 57 days of hard work to resolve," said Colby.
Colby said the province is limited in its power to issue orders against institutions outside of health care.
"Their powers are limited with regard to being directed towards health care institutions but not other institutions where the power resides in the local public health officers," Colby added.
Colby added the health unit in Windsor-Essex is overwhelmed with the number of COVID-19 cases it is dealing with. To date, there have been nearly 1,400 cases in the Windsor area compared to less than 160 in Chatham-Kent. A total of 475 migrant workers have tested positive across 27 farms in Leamington and Kingsville.
Colby said staff at CK Public Health continue helping the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit manage and trace contacts by phone in Chatham-Kent. Dr. Colby added the people of Windsor-Essex have a very competent medical officer of health.
Colby said dealing with the pandemic has been tiring and exhausting but added it has been made easier because he has a "fantastic team" and enjoys a high degree of cooperation. He said he signed up to serve the people of Chatham-Kent and loves the community where he grew up.
"This is what I'm called upon to do right now and I will do it until the safety of this community is delivered and guaranteed," Colby concluded. "This is a war we're going to win."
Mayor Darrin Canniff said Chatham-Kent should be very thankful to have a doctor like Colby because he has shown great leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.