19 Bylands workers have now tested positive for COVID-19

Photo: Contributed

Another five temporary foreign workers at West Kelowna's Bylands Nurseries have tested positive for COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, 19 of the 63 temporary foreign workers at the nursery have tested positive for the virus, which was discovered over the weekend.

Due to the province's first large community outbreak of the virus, 75 Bylands workers, including 12 local employees, are currently self-isolating.

Bylands owner Maria Byland said the outbreak is not believed to have spread to the Bylands Garden Centre on Byland and Bartley roads, but they've closed down the Garden Centre as a precaution. Interior Health says the risk of transmission to the general public is low. 

Karl Hardt, Interior Health spokesperson, said the transmission of the virus to the group of temporary foreign workers may have occurred when a group of new workers arrived in the Okanagan on March 12, before any travel restrictions had been put in place. IH believes the virus may have been brought to the Okanagan unwittingly by the new workers, infecting the employees who were already working at the nursery.

Last week, the federal government announced new regulations around the Seasonal Agriculture Workers Program, mandating 14 days of self isolation upon workers' arrival.

On Tuesday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the infected workers had been isolated from the community, but there was “considerable mixing on the farm.”

“There are people right now who are not sick who have been exposed to some of those people who are and they have a probability of becoming ill over the next two weeks,” she said.

"It will be two to four weeks before we understand the extent of this outbreak."