Positive case of COVID-19 confirmed in government building that houses premier's office

A positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Chancery Place, the Fredericton building that houses many provincial government departments, including the offices of the premier and cabinet, CBC News has learned.

The estimated 500 people who work in the building were notified Tuesday that an employee of an unspecified department has tested positive.

"I recognize that this news may be troubling for you," Cheryl Hansen, clerk of the executive council and head of the provincial civil service, wrote in the memo.

No public advisory about the positive case in the six-floor government building has been issued.

Fredericton is battling a 'cluster' of cases at the Delta Fredericton that has grown to 45; an outbreak at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation and Veterans Health Unit; and positive cases at four schools and two child-care facilities.

Nine new cases of COVID-19 in the Fredericton region, Zone 3, were announced on Friday, pushing the total active cases in the region to 61.

At least two COVID variants of concern are circulating — the one first reported in India and the one first reported in the U.K. — numerous potential public exposure notices have been issued and about 1,900 people are self-isolating, as of Wednesday.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell said Friday Public Health continues to monitor the situation closely, and won't hesitate to impose tighter restrictions if necessary to slow the spread.

The Chancery Place employee did not contract the virus in the workplace, according to the memo obtained by CBC News.

"Public Health has completed the contact tracing and communicated with any of the employee's contacts that required followup," the memo states. "Contacts who need to self-isolate are doing so."

Deep cleaning and sanitation of the employee's workplace and surroundings has been completed. "Public Health has advised that the workplace does not need to be closed and regular operations can continue."

Hansen urges the employees to "remain diligent" in following safety and hygiene protocols.

Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane declined to disclose any details about the positive case, including whether it's linked to one of the outbreaks, or whether it involves one of the highly contagious variants, citing privacy.

But he confirmed Chancery Place employees were notified of the case as part of the provincial government's workplace protocol.

Secure building

Asked why the public hasn't been notified, or why an exposure notice hasn't been issued, he replied: "Chancery Place is a secure building and all visitors must sign in and sign out when visiting the building.

"Should a visitor be deemed as a close contact of a confirmed case, Public Health officials would refer to the visitor's log to contact that visitor."

He did not respond to questions about whether close contacts of employees and visitors, or contacts of contacts should be made aware of the case so they know to watch for symptoms.

Of the 45 confirmed cases linked to the Delta Fredericton, 10 are "direct" cases, while 26 are contacts in the community and "contacts of contacts," Macfarlane has previously said. Details about the nine additional cases cases revealed Friday have not been provided.

Macfarlane declined to say how many people are isolating as a result of the positive case at Chancery Place.

"If someone has been identified as a close contact through a confirmed case, individuals would be contacted by Public Health and advised of the required measures to take," he said in an emailed statement.

'Under control'

Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters Friday he feels the situation is "under control."

"The protocols were all taken, the tracing was done with the individual, the individual that tested positive is isolating, and anyone who was in contact with that individual is now isolating."

No special measures are being taken because of the size of the workplace or the fact it houses cabinet, he said.

"Public Health aren't concerned about it overall because it's an isolated case and well understood."

Asked whether he's confident there were no opportunities for transmission in the building, he replied, "Yeah, I'm here today, so I feel good about my risk level and my colleagues.

"We've carried on with our cabinet meetings but followed our protocols throughout those, as we have been. So, yeah, we feel with what Public Health have done to understand the extent of the of the situation that we're OK."

An internal Horizon Health Network memo obtained by CBC News shows health officials believe there's a "very strong probability" the Delta cluster and a previous COVID outbreak at the University of New Brunswick residence Magee House spread by surface contacts, rather than respiratory droplets or aerosols.

"Public Health experience during the recent COVID-19 B.1.617 (Indian variant of concern) outbreaks at UNB Magee House residence and the Delta Hotel in Fredericton, has highlighted a very strong probability of contact/fomite transmission," Horizon's COVID-19 committee on infectious disease and infection, prevention and control said in a bulletin to staff.

Fomites are inanimate objects, such as doorknobs, handrails, countertops, telephones and keyboards, that may become contaminated either through respiratory droplets being expelled by infected individuals, or through cross-contamination from hands.

The infection spreads when people touch these objects or surfaces and then inadvertently touch their mouth, nose, or eyes, the bulletin explains.

In the UNB Magee House outbreak, Public Health believes the elevator in the seven-storey apartment-style residence was the source of transmission.

'Time will tell'

Higgs said there is "constant cleaning" in Chancery.

"So touch surfaces like elevator buttons or railings are done every day, routinely."

The chief medical officer of health said "time will tell" whether surface transmission is a factor in Chancery.

At this point, some close contacts would be asked to get tested right away, while contacts of contacts, and their households would be asked to isolate, said Russell.

"If by chance something did pop up that we weren't expecting … we have all of the people that we need to get in touch with in terms of providing that information to them," she said, referring to the visitor's log.

"When you know who all the contacts are, you don't have to put out a public acknowledgement," said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard.

Although many advisories have been issued for restaurants, which are required to keep a log of patrons, that's "probably due to the fact that people aren't necessarily giving accurate information," she said.

"And so if we can't contact them, we have to try to make them aware of a situation. So that's what it is."