Most operating rooms closed at Notre-Dame Hospital after 5 employees contract COVID-19

All the operating rooms, except one, at Hôpital Notre-Dame in downtown Montreal, have been closed as a precautionary measure after five employees tested positive for COVID-19.

The five, who work in the operating unit, contracted the virus from "two exterior sources," and officials are not considering it an outbreak.

There has been no transmittion inside the hospital, stresses Jean Nicolas Aubé, media relations officer with the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

Nevertheless, all patients and staff who may have come into contact with these five people are now being tested for COVID-19.

The closure of the operating rooms means elective surgeries will be pushed to after the holidays.

"We have one surgical room open so we can do surgery procedures that are mandatory," explained Aubé. "But we don't want to take any chances with the spread of the virus."

He points out the preventative measure is a "cruel reminder" that though health care workers are instructed to follow strict guidelines, they can still fall victim to the virus.

"We really have to be careful," Aubé notes. "We even, two days ago, sent a letter to staff to remind them to be careful."