This evening a press release from OC Transpo announced that they have received confirmation that an operator has tested positive for COVID-19. Their last day of work was November 24. The employee has been self-isolating since that time. To protect the privacy of the individual, the operator’s name will not be released.
OC Transpo is working directly with Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and are conducting contact tracing of individuals who have, or may have been, in close contact with this employee. OPH has advised that the key dates are the 48-hour period prior to the first day the employee showed symptoms; in this case the key dates are November 23 and 24. OC Transpo is contacting employees who may have come into close contact with the operator during this timeframe, as well as following up with family and friends who may also have been in contact.
The OC Transpo employee operated three buses on November 23 and three buses on November 24 serving the following routes:
November 23, 2020 –
Bus #8111
• Route # 262 Fernbank/Liard 6:58 am to Tunney’s Station 7:48 am
• Route # 75 Tunney’s Station 7:56 am to Minto Rec Centre 8:40 am
• Route # 75 Minto Rec Centre 8:47 am to Tunney’s Station 9:30 am
Bus #4677
• Route # 48 Canterbury 1:20 pm to Hurdman Station 1:49 pm
Bus #6664
• Route # 39 Blair Station 2:42 pm to Orleans Station 2:58 pm
• Route # 639 Gisele Lalonde High School 3:30 pm to Orleans Station 4:11 pm
• Route # 228 Blair Station 4:41 pm to Sarsfield Community Centre 5:26 pm
November 24, 2020 –
Bus #8116
• Route # 61 Cardel Rec Centre 6:50 am to Tunney’s Station 7:50 am
• Route # 75 Tunney’s Station 7:56 am to Minto Rec Centre 8:40 am
• Route # 75 Minto Rec Centre 8:47 am to Tunney’s Station 9:30 am
Bus #4741
• Route # 48 Canterbury 1:20 pm to Hurdman Station 1:49 pm
Bus # 6540
• Route # 39 Blair Station 2:42 pm to Orleans Station 2:58 pm
• Route # 639 Gisele Lalonde High School 3:30 pm to Orleans Station 4:11 pm
• Route # 228 Blair Station 4:41 pm to Sarsfield Community Centre 5:26 pm
OC Transpo is identifying vehicles and facilities that may require additional cleaning over and above our enhanced cleaning process.
The Transit Service Recovery Plan has been implemented to ensure transit is safer for customers and employees. This includes making masks mandatory for employees and customers, implementing a soft barrier around the bus driver, and increasing service levels on the system.
If customers have concerns about exposure, they can contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 to speak to a public health nurse or visit ottawapublichealth.ca.