The second order of business after the long weekend — opening up the washrooms to check out the weekend’s guests.
Prince Edward Island’s Ministry of Health and Wellness received three new reports of COVID-19, also known as carbon monoxide, Thursday night, likely from the same property.
As of this morning, all guests at the O’Malleys River Inn have been cleared and turned away, and CO test results are back to normal, according to the provincial Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Winds over Prince Edward Island during the weekend picked up CO gases in the air, which drifted up from submerged and potentially abandoned storage tanks. The O’Malleys River Inn was immediately evacuated after the five-day old fire broke out in front of the five-star property.
Dr. Brienne Atkinson, the province’s environmental health officer, warned for several days that the lake of natural gas could suffocate people.
“Many of our guests had the bad luck of having to play pool while playing a game of pool,” Deb O’Connor, the inn’s general manager, told the Canadian Press.
Officials urge Prince Edward Islanders not to “stay inside for any length of time,” on Friday.
“It’s not uncommon to have mysterious chemical spills on remote islands, and the risk is worth it in the event we find a solution to the problem. Ultimately, our health and safety is the top priority for us,” Atkinson said in a statement.
Dr. Patricia McGrath, acting assistant chief health officer for Health Canada, said in a statement to MetroNews: “We want residents to know that the risk to health is not a serious issue. C02 in the air can be deadly, but at this time the public is not at risk.”