Lakeside Produce taking all the right precautions

By Mark Ribble

LEAMINGTON — When the news broke last week that Lakeside Produce in Leamington had 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among their staff, the announcement originated from a unique source.

Lakeside Chief Operating Officer Sudeshna Nambiar made the announcement in conjunction with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Nambiar stressed that she wanted to come forward with full transparency so the community would know that they have taken strict precautions.

“I’m glad to say the chain was broken,” she said. “We have protocols in place to contain the virus and assure the community that those employees were isolated as soon as we knew it.”

Thirteen employees tested positive for COVID-19, with 10 of them being local employees and three offshore workers. The first case was discovered on April 1 and the others followed on April 13.

All 13 employees worked within close proximity of each other.

“I’m happy to say that all of those employees are now virus-free and back to work,” she said.

SUDESHNA NAMBIAR

Ten cases had been resolved when the joint announcement was made last week and the other three returned to work on Saturday, after their two weeks of isolation.

With stringent guidelines to enter the workplace at Lakeside Produce, Nambiar is proud of the commitment they’ve made toward keeping the workplace sanitary.

“If you want to enter, you have to fill out a form, ring a bell and be put through certain steps by a person wearing full PPE,” she said.

If you exhibit any symptoms at all, you are not allowed entry to Lakeside’s property.

Inside, the workers are wearing all of the PPE necessary to prevent the spread of any virus, including COVID-19.

An extensive education program and constant reminders to the employees have been put in place to prevent any spread and keep the workers updated on certain protocol.

“We have posters, banners, TV screens, daily meetings and more to make sure that our employees know what they need to know,” Nambiar said.

Nambiar is thankful to the medical community and has a great relationship with the local board of health.

“Dr. Ahmed has been very good about keeping us updated and in the know,” she said.

The Ministry of Labour also came in last week and gave them a five-star report.

Nambiar is proud of her team and how they’ve responded and wants the community to know that they are going above and beyond when it comes to safety of their employees and the public in general.

“I live in this community with my family,” she said. “We are all battling this together.” Lakeside is one of this area’s largest employers and Nambiar is quick to remind us that they are essential workers too.

“I am so thankful to the medical community for all they’ve done,” she said. “We are also essential services, producing food that is going all around the world.”