After weeks of resisting the idea of mandatory COVID-19 testing for farm workers, Premier Doug Ford says he’s now in support of the idea.
He made the concession on Friday, saying his government is actively consulting with legal experts to see if there is a way to force workers to get tested.
Ford pointed to a number of outbreaks around Windsor-Essex, mostly attributed to farm workers.
He says compulsory testing would help contain those outbreaks.
The southwestern Ontario region recently surpassed Toronto and Peel for the highest case count in the province.
Windsor-Essex reported 53 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, attributing 43 of them to agri-food sector employees.
Ford says Windsor-Essex, Toronto and Peel will have to wait until Wednesday for an update on whether or not they’re allowed to head into Stage 3 of reopening.
