Another two employees at the TTC’s Queensway garage have tested positive for COVID-19 and public health officials are now asking maintenance staff at the facility to remain at home for a week as a precaution.

The latest cases come in the wake of eight maintenance workers at the garage refusing to work this past weekend due to unsafe conditions.

The union representing TTC workers has also called for mass-testing at the facility.

So far a total of five employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Queensway garage.

Speaking with CP24 on Thursday, Amalgamated Transit Union International Vice President Manny Sforza said that the TTC put his members at risk by not immediately shutting down the facility when it realized that there was a positive back on March 19. Instead, he said that a decision was made to only send home workers who were on the same shift as the infected employee.

“We are very concerned that the number (of positive cases) is going to continue to grow because it is quite clear that the TTC didn’t take the appropriate steps two weeks ago when the first member tested positive at that location,” he said.

Sforza said that the TTC previously shut down an entire maintenance facility at its Hillcrest complex after a employee tested positive but took a relaxed approach at the Queensway garage and is now paying the price.

He said that he is also “extremely concerned” with reports of workers at the facility being sent to other TTC maintenance facilities after the initial positive test.

“If you want to mitigate the spread of this virus that is the last thing you should be doing, so we are not happy with the steps the TTC has been taking,” he told CP24.

The TTC says that the Queensway garage remains open with work now being done by non-unionized staff.

They say that facility has also received “another deep clean” in the wake of the latest positive tests.

Toronto Public Health has advised any employee who has worked at least one shift at the facility since April 12 to stay home until April 30.

A total of 27 TTC employees have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, including the five maintenance workers at Queensway garage.