‘Staff aren’t being heard’: Employees at Pearson airport testing site say conditions unacceptable
Global News
Employees of a pre-departure COVID testing site at Pearson airport say they are working in freezing conditions that are unacceptable.
Employees are working in a pre-departure COVID testing site at Pearson airport with freezing conditions that are unacceptable, says a staff member.
Speaking with Global News on the condition of anonymity, the staffer said the partially-outdoor drive-thru testing site is freezing.
“It’s frustrating and painful actually. You’re standing outside swabbing passengers and sometimes they have questions and you don’t want to rush them because this is what they paid for. It’s not their fault we are in a drive-thru,” the staff member said.
“Sometimes they have questions and you’re out there talking to them and the wind is blowing and it’s painful and uncomfortable. It’s overwhelming, really.”
The site on Viscount Road is a paid testing site that offers drive-thru testing and has a clinic on the third floor of the parking garage.
Employees recognized there would be issues with the drive-thru testing centre in the fall months, said the staffer.
“This was a foreseen issue.” With a drive-thru component at the testing centre, staff would have to worry about what they were going to do when the cold weather started.
“We were assured that they would have measures in place and heating pods and whatnot. In October, when the weather started to cool down was when we noticed none of these things were happening.”