The Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal was forced to close its doors on May 14 after half of the shelter’s staff members and some residents contracted COVID-19.
The woman who runs the shelter called the oubreak preventable and is demanding more testing in Montreal’s homeless community.
But regional health authorities say the challenge is convincing them to get tested in the first place. “I’m calling out to Public Health, help us help the shelters, send over that testing bus,” said Nakuset, the executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.
Nakuset said an outbreak at her shelter could have been prevented if public health authorities had responded to her calls for help as soon as a worker tested positive earlier this month.