Construction workers at Bathurst hospital don't feel protected against COVID-19

Construction site workers at the Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst are worried about their health and safety, alleging their employer hasn't done enough to protect them against COVID-19.

The employees building a new wing at the hospital havesaid it's impossible to always maintain the two-metre distance that health officials call for.

Andthere are few bottles of hand sanitizer on hand.

"In the hallways, we all work together on the same floors," saidFranco Huard, one of the workers.

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"There is a pile of people who are there, then we have no choice but to pass each other. We are always close. We have no choice."

Money or family?

There are about 90 people at the construction work site, and many of them believethe work should be suspended for public health and safety reasons, Huard said.

Huard said said he finds it impossible towork properly and not be in physical contact with other workers.

The construction worker has even thought of quitting the project to protect his family, friends and co-workers.

"I'm at a point, is money more important than my family?"

Directives vary across Atlantic Canada

Across Atlantic Canada,public health authorities are demanding that strict hygiene and physical removal measures be followed in the workplace to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Government directives vary from province to province.

In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia,the construction industry is considered a critical industry. But Prince Edward Island has decided to stop all new construction.

Albert Godin, a carpenter on the Bathurst site, saidthe group works alongside supervisors from Nova Scotia although the province of New Brunswick has been controlling cross-border crossings since last week.

"What bothers me the most is that the three big bosses come from [Nova Scotia] and then they come in here on Mondays, then they don't need to be in quarantine, nothing. They are on the site right away."

Huardalso said construction workers are coming from other provinces like Ontario and are returning home on the weekends and return to the job sites without being quarantined.

"It's not going to affect justus here, it's going to affect us all around the province," Huard said.

'We may be losing our jobs'

The New Brunswick requirement that people who come into the province spend 14 days in isolation does not apply to the construction workers.

Pomerleau is a construction company based in Quebec and isin charge of the Bathurstproject.

The company did not respond to Radio-Canada's interview request.

Godin said subcontractors don'thave the right to stop construction.

"The contractor told us that he hoped the government would call him to say to close the site. He said he has no right to shut it down,"Godinsaid.

"Now that they have denounced the situation, the group of workers who are raising the alarm about this situation fear reprisals. We may be losing our jobs there."