TORONTO -- By Monday鈥檚 shift change, workers at Brandon鈥檚 biggest employer, food processing company Maple Leaf Foods, learned that four more employees had tested positive for COVID-19.
One worker鈥檚 opinion? 鈥淪hut it down before somebody gets killed.鈥
Workers say there are around 22 cases already among employees.
This comes just days after the CEO of the company among the workers at the Brandon plant.
Officials say there鈥檚 no evidence any of the workers contracted the virus inside the facility itself. Still, the union is calling for a temporary shutdown at the plant, and mandatory testing.
鈥淟et鈥檚 get everyone tested and the results back before we have people back in the plant so we can isolate those situations,鈥 Paul Meinema, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
Despite the growing fear, there are few options for families struggling to get by. One man spoke to 麻豆影视 on behalf of his wife, who works at the plant.
鈥淚 could see she was not sleeping at night,鈥 he told 麻豆影视. 鈥淪he worried not to quit her job, and then she worried not to get the virus.鈥
And it鈥檚 a growing concern beyond Maple Leaf.
Manitoba鈥檚 second-largest city, Brandon, now has 64 positive cases. Testing facilities are maxed out. Today, it was more than a four hour wait.
COVID-19 has shuttered a handful of businesses. Others are restricting access and mandating masks as cases climb.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely taken a turn here in the last week, but I think as a business community as a whole, we鈥檝e done an excellent job trying to flatten the curve like it was a few months back,鈥 said Spencer Day, with the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.
Even a few weeks back, things were different.
In mid-July, Manitoba had just one COVID-19 case, but as summer travel increased, there was a spike.
Brandon鈥檚 problems may have come from down the highway.
鈥淭here was one such case that was early on in that cluster [that] was linked to a traveller from out east,鈥 Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba鈥檚 Chief Public Health Officer said.
As Maple Leaf鈥檚 union calls for mandatory testing, Brandon is asking for more capacity.
Another testing facility will open here at the city鈥檚 largest arena tomorrow.
