Bartlett Lodge Announces Temporary Closure, Multiple Staff Are Sick Connected To Norovirus

The Lodge had released the following statement:

The lodge is taking the right steps with a 100% voluntary closure.

Dear Guests of Bartlett Lodge:

This is a lengthy email for the information of our guests relating to the closure of Bartlett Lodge from Friday, August 7^th to Monday, August 10^th 2020 at noon.

At the conclusion of this email is a summary of “What You Need to Know”

It has been a year like no other for the entire world. It has been a season like no other at Bartlett Lodge.

Our summer began about one month late on June 19^th after much planning and staff training to ensure our guests and staff would be safe and have a memorable Algonquin Park experience. Take-out meals were served, buildings were cleaned and disinfected regularly and most importantly the guests returned in large numbers. Their Bartlett experience, although modified, has been enjoyed by all 2020 guests thus far.

As if the CoVID-19 challenge was not enough, a second obstacle arose. Late in July we were notified by one of our food suppliers of a recall on red onions because of possible salmonella bacteria. At the same time, one of our staff came down with some vomiting and diarrhea.

Most produce was discarded, and the staff member was better within 24 hours. All was well for 24 hours, but then a second staff member became ill with similar symptoms.

As many know, we are the owners and Directors of Camp Tanamakoon for girls and have been for the past 36 years. The Norovirus is a Camp Director’s, Lodge Owner’s or Cruise Boat Operator’s worst nightmare. Having had experience with the virus arriving at our summer camp, I immediately became suspicious and fearful when the second staff member became ill.

What is the Norovirus?

We all have Google, so the answers are there, but it is an airborne virus producing upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and a low-grade fever. The symptoms last 24-48 Hours. The challenge is that a person who has the virus is still contagious for 48 hours after they have recovered.

At first it was thought that our staff member who was ill may have eaten a bad onion. When the second staff member became ill, we had a strong feeling it may be the Norovirus.

We moved quickly, isolated the staff member, discarded all the food that he had helped prepare, and discarded all staff food, and all fresh produce. The kitchen was completely sanitized on three separate occasions over this period. Unfortunately, it was too late.

What was the result of the Norovirus at Bartlett Lodge?

As a result of the spread we have had 3 additional staff members become ill. They are now away from the Lodge until they are symptom free for 48 hours.

In addition, we have had 9 guests reporting illness to us. These guests have all checked out. As a precaution 6 of these guests were checked for CoVID-19 and all reported negative results.

All the illnesses to guests were reported on or before August 5^th. We had been free of any illness for 48 hours and had started to plan a reopen of our dining room when another guest reported sick on Friday August 7^th.

I decided to close the Lodge immediately and commence disinfecting and deep cleaning of the entire resort. Throughout this week we have been in constant contact with the Renfrew District Health Unit and have received medical advice from one of our Camp Tanamakoon physicians.

On Sunday, August 9^th, Rentokil, a large cleaning firm will disinfect the entire resort. We have taken the precaution of laundering all linens, blankets, towels, face cloths and mattresses pads. We have also continued our own CoVID-19 sanitation procedures throughout the closure weekend of Bartlett and will continue to operate under our strict CoVID-19 protocols after re-opening on Monday.

The Lodge will re-open at 12 noon on Monday August 19^th. We welcome all our guests registered for the week of August 10-17^th. Should you have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact our Manger David Fortune                          at (705) 633-5543 or via e-mail at david@bartlettlodge.com

Here is what you need to know

1. Bartlett Lodge was closed from Friday Aug 7^th at noon to Monday August 10^th at noon.
2. There was a total of 4 staff and 9 guests sick over a period of 10 days with suspected cases of Norovirus.
3. The Renfrew District Health Unit and our Camp Tanamakoon Physician were consulted, and their advice was acted on
4. Rentokil, an outside disinfection firm performed a complete disinfection of the resort on Sunday August 9^th.
5. All the resort linens and bedding have been laundered at a commercial laundry service.
6. Three of the staff who were ill as of Saturday August 8 are not to return to the Lodge until they have been symptom free for 48 hours. The fourth staff member returned 10 days ago and is no longer infectious.
7. As owners, we felt that this was the only course of action to ensure the health, safety, and happiness of all our guests and staff.
8. If you have a stay booked with us for the week of August 10-17^th we will look forward to welcoming you to Bartlett Lodge. We are also happy to discuss any concerns or questions that you might have about your stay.

Kim Smith
Owner, Bartlett Lodge