DEERHURST SAYS HEALTH UNIT ALLOWED IT TO STAY OPEN
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
HUNTSVILLE — Deerhurst says it has been given a clean bill of health.
Concerns about a COVID “cluster” at one of Muskoka’s largest resorts were assessed and dealt with as soon as they were known, says management.
General manager Jesse Hamilton said the reason they remained open was because: “Until important facts were fully known, however, we didn’t want to add any potential misinformation or alarm to the situation.”
Marketing director Laura Kennedy said: “We also were confident that the public health investigation did not indicate that the resort was unsafe for guests or staff.
“The resort stayed open because the public health unit’s assessment that only one staff member would be at risk and that the high compliance of infection control measures deemed it unnecessary to close.
In a release today, Aug. 12, they say fears of the unknown 11 cases of coronavirus spreading throughout resort and into the community via the families of guests and staff were at the time deemed unnecessary by health officials.
“Upon the health unit’s assessment of the contact risk and the high degree of compliance of infection control practises, the resort was given the green light to stay open” — after first learning of the outbreak Aug. 8 — wrote Kennedy.
“There was no indication that the resort was unsafe for guests and staff nor that closing the resort was helpful.”
However, she said: “Due to the evolving nature of the information and confidentiality of the risk assessment being conducted by public health, how and when to communicate the information was a challenge for the resort, especially being reassured that the safety of guests and all other staff had not been compromised.”
“Our challenge was in how and when to communicate about this matter while the information was still evolving and due to the confidential nature of the public health unit’s investigation.”
She confirmed the report by the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit that 11 members of a group of families vacationing together at Deerhurst Resort during the August long weekend tested positive for COVID-19 “several days after returning to their homes outside the region.”
Kennedy said as a result of the health unit’s contact tracing process, one staff member was deemed at risk.
And the resort was told today, Aug. 12, “this sole staff member has tested negative for COVID-19.
“The status of this test is the only outstanding area of concern for transmission at the resort at this point in time,” she said.
“While we were hoping this would not happen, the possibility of COVID transmission is exactly why all of our stringent prevention measures have been in place since we re-opened,” Hamilton added in the release.
“Everything from capping occupancy, fully disinfecting guest rooms after each departure, frequent sanitization, social distancing in all facilities and mandatory face coverings for staff in all areas of the hotel operation have proven effective, for which we’re very grateful.”
Kennedy said resort management has been working closely with the health unit since being notified of the first case Aug. 8 — five days after the holiday weekend ended on the Monday.
She added: “Due to the evolving nature of the information and confidentiality of the risk assessment being conducted by public health, how and when to communicate the information was a challenge for the resort, especially being reassured that the safety of guests and all other staff had not been compromised.
Hamilton said: “We can appreciate the concern of staff, guests and our community upon learning about the presence of COVID at the resort.
“Until important facts were fully known, however, we didn’t want to add any potential misinformation or alarm to the situation.
“We put our trust and confidence in the public health authorities from whom we took direction, and in our own safety protocols which appear to have passed a test we never hoped to take. And we’re grateful for the guidance of the Simcoe Muskoka Public Health Unit in helping us navigating these unprecedented waters, and the continued support of our guests and hosts, whose safety and wellbeing remains our utmost priority.”
Meanwhile, a MuskokaTODAY.com reader says a friend was at Deerhurst the weekend of the cases there and “is getting very little information from public health or the resort about possible exposure.”
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