COVID-19 outbreak forces temporary closure of North Bay Jail

NORTH BAY — Officials say 32 inmates and 1 staff member at the North Bay Jail have tested positive for COVID-19.

 

While the jail is now closed for a minimum of two weeks, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 616, representing about 60 workers at the jail, Roselle Greuter, told CTV News she’s disappointed things have got to this point. 

 

“People are working 16-hour shifts on a constant basis. We’re tired, we’re stressed. This two week isolation period gives us a chance to re-boot but it still doesn’t negate the fact that too little too late.” 

 

“A lot of stuff should’ve been done and I blame the minister.”

 

Greuter said no inmates or jail staff were hospitalized due to the virus, most people have “flu-like symptoms.”

 

Now, the 61 inmates have been transferred to other facilities to self-isolate while the jail receives a deep clean. 

 

“Staff have been working awfully hard the past 16 months to prevent it from coming into our jail and then when it did come in, we arranged to have the vaccines done, the testing done on-an-on-going basis,” said Greuter. 

 

“But the icing on the cake was when all the office managers and regional managers stepped in line and got their vaccine first.”

 

“It’s like a slap in the face for the actual workers who work with these people.”

According to Greuter none of the positive COVID-19 cases have come back as a variant of concern. If a variant of concern is detected, she says the jail will be closed for longer than two weeks. 

 

“The covid is really travelling, to my understanding other jails are coming down with it,” she said. 

 

“We’re just a petri dish, we have no plans. The plans that we do have are not sufficient enough for that institution.” 

 

She also wishes more preventative measures were put in place. 

 

“I think the ministry needs to clean up its act,” said Greuter. 

 

“I think their needs to be a relationship between the union and its members. We need to get together to prevent things from happening.”