Parliamentary police service member tests positive for COVID-19

The police service for Parliament Hill has launched a review of its COVID-19 protocol after one of its members tested positive for the virus.

As first reported by CTV News, the individual notified the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) on Sept. 10 of the positive test result after visiting parts of the parliamentary precinct in Ottawa.

In a statement to CBC News, the PPS said its employees are supposed to stay home and contact their manager or supervisor if they have any symptoms and are seeking or awaiting test results.

A contact tracing investigation has identified 19 PPS employees who came into direct contact with the individual.

The service said those 19 people are now in self-isolation for 14 days.

"We contacted our parliamentary partners as well as any individuals who may have come into contact with the employee," the PPS said in an email statement.

"We continue to liaise with our parliamentary partners and remain in close contact with public health, participating fully in a review of the situation."

The PPS said the 19 employees have been directed to contact public health authorities, follow the advice provided and monitor themselves for symptoms.

It added that Ottawa Public Health has categorized the contact risk for those individuals as low.

The news comes on the same day as that Bloc Québécois said party leader Yves-François Blanchet is isolating alongside his wife, Nancy Déziel, after she tested positive for COVID-19.

Blanchet and members of his caucus put themselves in isolation on Monday after a staffer in his office tested positive.