COVID-19 outbreak declared at Kingston nail salon less than 2 weeks after Ontario entered Stage 2

Up to 700 exposed by Kingston Salon outbreak Crowds arrive at Kingston COVID-19 assessment centre to be tested after the outbreak at the Binh's Nails and Spa. CTV's Kimberley Johnson reports.

KINGSTON, ONT. — There are now 16 COVID-19 cases associated with an outbreak at a Kingston, Ont. nail salon, according to the region's medical officer of health.

Dr. Kieran Moore said six of 10 workers at Binh's Nails and Spa salon on Gardiners Road have tested positive for COVID-19, along with three clients and seven close contacts of the cases.

"This is an outbreak," Moore told CTV Morning Live's Leslie Roberts.

More than 500 customers who visited the salon between June 12 and June 24 are now being asked to quarantine for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms, he said, and get tested if they develop them.

Anyone who has had close contact with the 16 people who tested positive is also in quarantine. Those people have had an average of 10 contacts each, Moore said.

The KFL&A Public Health Unit released this video breaking down the COVID-19 cases linked to the salon:

The outbreak was confirmed less than two weeks after Ontario entered Stage 2 of its economic recovery plan.

Moore also said Friday morning that officials are considering making wearing masks mandatory in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington region.

"This is a clear call to action for us and the community to respond to this threat," he said. "The economic impact of 680 people now being off for two weeks really mandates that we step up our game, that we learn from this, and further protect our community."

On Thursday, Moore said the health unit began investigating five new COVID-19 cases among a health care worker, a parent and child and a restaurant worker and their partner. Moore says the health unit determined the health care worker, the parent and the restaurant employee had recently visited Binh's Nails and Spa salon.

"When we went to that workplace within 24 hours, we went there, we did testing of all the workers and there are three positive workers at that establishment," he said. "We also have found that there were some deficiencies in best practices on limiting the spread of COVID-19."

Speaking to reporters, Dr. Moore said the "deficiencies" included hand washing, physical distancing and people showing up to work with symptoms. The names and phone numbers of people using the salon were not recorded properly.

The owner of Binh's Nails and Spa salon tells CTV News Ottawa they tested positive for COVID-19. A sign on the door at the Binh's Nails and Spa Salon says the salon is closed due to "a customer having COVID-19."

In a statement, the health unit says all clients who visited the salon between June 12 and June 24 are required to self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19. Once tested, all customers are required to quarantine for 14 days from the date of their appointment, regardless of test results.

"The well-being of Binh's Nails and Spa customers and estheticians in the salon is our top priority along with ensuring adherence to proper sanitization and cleaning," said Dr. Moore.

"At this time, the salon will be closed until it is safe to re-open."

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the owner of Binh's Nail and Spa salon, Binh Nguyen said, "We'd like to apologize that this happened. We encourage everyone who's been in our salon since the 12^th to get tested."

The COVID-19 assessment centre at the Memorial Centre in Kingston is open June 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and June 27 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The assessment centre is moving to the Leon's Centre on Monday.

Salons, barber shops and spas were allowed to reopen in eastern Ontario on June 12 as the region moved into Stage 2 of Ontario's COVID-19 reopening plan.