OTTAWA -- Twenty-seven cases of COVID-19 are now linked to a nail salon in Kingston, Ont.
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, five days after the outbreak was linked to the salon.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said the 27 cases of COVID-19 include six employees of Binh's Nails and Spa and a household contact of one of the employees. Six customers of Binh's Nails and Spa have tested positive for COVID-19, along with 11 contacts of those customers.
Over the weekend, an employee at a second nail salon tested positive for COVID-19. In a Facebook post, Kingdom Nails and Spa on Fortune Crescent said an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The employee rents from Binh's Nails and Spa.
"Our total number now within a week is 25 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, some of whom have had minimal symptoms," said Dr. Moore in a message posted to YouTube Monday morning. Two new cases were announced Monday afternoon.
"Very good news that no one has required to be in hospital, everyone's doing well. Everyone is isolating appropriately, protecting themselves from the community and doing best practices within their home environment."
Last Thursday, the health unit declared a COVID-19 outbreak linked to the salon on Gardiners Road.
Dr. Moore said Monday morning that over 3,000 people were tested for COVID-19 in Kingston over the past week.
"This is an essential component – testing, testing, testing to try to identify any further spread from this one point source outbreak," said Dr. Moore.
"Those individuals we want to get tested are direct visitors to Binh's Nails and Spa and/or Kingdom Nail and Spa; and/or if you're the contact of the case we want you to get tested; or if you've got any new signs and symptoms of COVID-19."
On Sunday, Dr. Moore said he was "confident" they would be able to limit the spread of novel coronavirus following the outbreak linked to the nail salon.
Kingston has now mandated that face masks be worn in all indoor settings to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre has now moved to the Leon's Centre. It's open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
