39 Delta firefighters forced to isolate after hockey game

DELTA (NEWS 1130) — A recreational hockey game is partially to blame for exposing more than three dozen members of Delta’s fire department to COVID-19.

The game took place early last week. A member of Delta Fire and Emergency Services attended, not knowing they and a family member had the virus.

Those who played in the game and others who were later on shift with this person at the department were all exposed to COVID-19.

At least 39 members of the department were in isolation at one point.

Delta Mayor George Harvie said the firefighters who tested negative for COVID-19 have slowly returned to work. Some are still awaiting test results.

.@MayorofDelta says things at Delta’s fire dept. are getting back to normal after two firefighters tested positive for #COVID19 and at least, at one point, 39 firefighters were in self-isolation because of poss. exposure. He’s surprised something like this didn’t happen sooner.

— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) October 22, 2020

“We are doing our job here. Everybody’s working hard, additional protocols are taking place, and as we go through this,” he added.

“This just shows you that it’s a fire department, with very healthy individuals, this can affect anybody.”

Harvie is surprised, given the pandemic started in March, it took as long as it did for an outbreak of this magnitude to affect a city department.

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He said the outbreak has cost the city money as other firefighters had to work overtime to cover for the others who were isolating.

“It just shows again how easy it is to contract this disease through the community.”

A firefighter who had a family member who tested positive was at a rec hockey game with other firefighters early last week. Mayor George Harvie is surprised this kind of outbreak didn’t happen sooner given we’ve been in a pandemic since March. Details on @NEWS1130.

— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) October 22, 2020

He added the city has made it mandatory to wear masks in all municipal facilities.

“Everybody in the community must really start paying attention, even more than they have before,” Harvie said.

“The information I just received from Fraser Health shows that that the region is the highest in B.C. by far — Surrey, Delta, White Rock, Langley, and others, they have to take more precautions.”

Earlier in the week, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed a disproportionate number of new cases are occurring in the South Fraser region.