No new cases of COVID-19 in N.L., following weekend with 4 new instances

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, after a weekend that saw the province's total caseload increase by four and the first hospitalization in five months.

The province has 10active cases. There have been 289 recoveries since the first case in March and four deaths. The province's total caseload is 303.

In total, 56,869people have been tested for COVID-19 across the province as of Monday's update from the Department of Health, including 207in the last day.

Meanwhile, Tory MHA David Brazil, theshadow criticfor the Department ofHealth and Community Services,is calling for mandatory point of entry testing for essential workers. On Sunday, the government disclosed a new caseat the Soldiers Pond work site, involving a worker who hadarrived from Russia.

In a statementMonday, Brazil said the Torieshavebeen calling for point of entry testing for months.

"Here we see another example of an essential worker from out of country test positive for COVID-19. The worker was non-symptomatic, worked two shifts at a Nalcor site, and then advised Nalcor that a family member in Russia had tested positive for COVID-19," he said.

"There are two issues here to consider. Did this worker have expertise that isn't available in Newfoundland and Labrador to justify bringing the individual into our province? Also, this person was non-symptomatic and was not required to self-isolate. Government should institute point of entry testing as an added safe guard."

In a media release on Sunday,Nalcorsaid the man hasbeen following public healthprotocols which includesself-Isolating in St. John's while not working.

Nalcor said the manhas also followed allworksite isolation protocols, worked two night shifts in isolation andbelieves he did not have close contact with other individuals while at work.

On Monday Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall told reporters the company allows some workers from outside the Atlantic bubble to work at Soldiers Pond,on shifts where there is almost nobody else around generally a night shift.

Marshall said there were three other people working in a large building at the same time as the man who tested positive, and they were not in close proximity. He notedthose three workers have all returned negative COVID-19 test results, and will remain in isolation until they are tested again in the next few days.

"The worker himself, this foreign worker, is showing mild symptoms and is self-isolating," Marshall said.

The companysaid because of the health and safety protocols in place atSoldiers Pond, itbelievesthe risk to other peopleworking there is low.

Much of the power to be generated at the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric megaprojectin Labrador will flow to the Soldiers Pond station, which is about 35 kilometres west of St. John's.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador