South Shore day camps close temporarily after COVID-19 outbreaks

Children or counsellors at at least five day camps south of Montreal have tested positive for COVID-19.

The camps are located in Verchres, Sainte-Catherine, Boucherville, Saint-Constant and Mont Saint-Hilaire, in Quebec'sMontrgieregion.

The latest day camp to report positive cases isCharlot l'Escargotin Boucherville. Regional health authorities are investigatingafter a counsellor and multiple children who were at the camp last week tested positive for the virus.

TheCentre intgr de sant et de services sociauxde la Montrgie-Centre sent a notice to parents and staff Tuesday, informing them that an epidemiologicalstudy is underway to figure out who had been in contact with the positive cases.

It says public health authorities will reach out to those contacts "over the next 72 hours."

The letter did not specify how many at the camp have tested positive so far.

Both Charlot l'Escargotand a day camp inSainte-Catherine are closed until at least Friday.

Five people who either worked at or attended theSainte-Catherine day camp havetested positive.Public health authorities have already reached out to everyone who may have been in contact with the positive cases, the city said on its website, and they are nowin isolation.

Last week, two children from the same family who had attended day camp inMont-Saint-Hilairealso tested positive for COVID-19. In a release Sunday, the city said it had contacted the parents of all the children concerned.

A camp counselor at a day camp inVerchreshasalso tested positive for COVID-19. Public health authoritiestold the municipality that the person was not contagious while they wereat the camp.

Three other counselors who were in close contact with the person's family are being tested, the municipality says. The camp will be closed until they get the results.

In Saint-Constant, a day camp employee tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, but the employee had alreadybeen self-isolatingsince July 10 because someone close to her was confirmed to have the disease.

Campers and colleagues were informed, and the municipality says the risk of contagion is low.

Testing recommended

The health authority is asking parents at Charlot l'Escargot to keep their children home until July 31 andmonitor them for symptoms.

It also "strongly recommends" that they get their children tested for COVID-19.

In a letter to parents Tuesday, Annie Montour, owner ofCharlot l'Escargot, said an employee showed symptoms of COVID-19 last week and was sent home. That employee then tested positive Friday.

Montour said the day camp had strict COVID-19 safety measures in place, including regular temperature checks for employees and children, vigorous hand washing and mandatory face masks.

"We took all preventative measures and followed public health directives down to the letter since March. We will continue to follow public health directives," Montour told CBC News in a statement Wednesday.

Mathieu Lanthier-Veilleux, a medical assistant at Montrgie public health, says most of the cases in day camps come from young adults working as counselors.

"We're working to remind all counselors to be careful in their social activities outside of work, because it can have an impact on their places of work and their families," Lanthier-Veilleux said.

Public health authorities are working with day camps to inform families, follow contact-tracing threads and ensure COVID-19 prevention guidelines are being followed.

"We clearly need to remind people of the measures in place, which is what we're doing now," hesaid.

TheMontrgie is the province's second-hardest hit region, after Montreal, with8,462 cases recorded so far.

The province's day camps have been allowed to reopen since June 22.