Yet another Government opting for blanket testing in a bid to stamp out coronavirus in aged care homes. 

Ontario says it will now test all residents in the province’s 626 nursing homes for COVID-19, along with more staff after just under 2,000 residents and 957 staff tested positive in the last few weeks. 

At least 447 nursing home residents – including 48 in the past 24 hours – had died as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Care. A care worker has also passed away from the virus. 

In total, Canada has now recorded just over 40,000 COVID-19 cases and almost 2,000 deaths – around 50% in nursing homes. 

The province had already mandated testing for every resident with COVID-19 symptoms, their roommates, residents in adjacent rooms and staff on the unit, along with essential visitors and others as necessary – but with the Canadian Armed Forces being called in to help five homes in severe crisis, the local government says this level of testing has proved inadequate. 

Ontario says it will take around two weeks to test all 133,000 people.