Hamilton tenants care for newborn amid COVID outbreak in downtown apartment building

These days, Arefin Chowdhury's life is filled with joy and despair alike.

Two weeks ago, his wife, Jarin, gave birth to their daughter, Aireen.

Then, just this past Sunday, he tested positive for COVID-19.

So did his mom, Shabnam, who lives with them in a two-bedroom apartment at 235 Rebecca St.

Whenever the symptoms started, I started staying away from everyone, so hopefully it helped," Arefin said Thursday.

That's not an easy task in an apartment. But his family is not alone.

Public health has reported 67 cases at the 17-storey Rebecca Towers since the virus took hold there in mid-March and resulted in one death.

As of Wednesday, there were 38 active cases in the outbreak that involves the B.1.1.7 variant, a more transmissible version of the virus that originated in the United Kingdom.

Tenants in the highrise say they're upset it took public health until May to tell them about the outbreak.

Nasif Akbulut says the notification should have happened in March, when the first cases were confirmed.

Well, absolutely," Akbulut, 54, said Thursday.

With that knowledge, tenants could have taken measures to prevent the virus from spreading, he said.

In an email Thursday, the city said congregate settings, including schools and workplaces, have reporting requirements when cases are identified which helps in early identification of outbreaks."

But residential settings, including apartment buildings, do not have these same reporting mechanisms."

Exposure to COVID-19 is most often generated for locations outside a residence," the emailed statement added.

But public health investigated further after identifying a number of active cases" at 235 Rebecca St., then confirming transmission between tenants of different households who'd been in close contact with one another.

The outbreak comes after a flood washed out tenants in 2016, and a multi-alarm fire forced a building evacuation just this past March.

What I see is just miserable here. I mean, miserable There is no one single thing going the right place," said Akbulut, who has lived at Rebecca Towers just over a year and works part-time as a food-delivery driver.

Paramedics were deployed to the building at the corner of Wellington Street North on Thursday to test residents for the virus. They were scheduled to do the same Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

When the city announced the outbreak earlier this week, it noted cases were dispersed across 17 units on 10 floors.

Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, the city's medical officer of health, told councillors Wednesday that case managers noticed 235 Rebecca St. coming up frequently," which led to more attention.

An investigation suggested tenants helping each other out - picking up groceries or spending time with a fellow resident to ease loneliness - contributed to the outbreak, Richardson noted.

That's understandable during such trying times, she said, but urged tenants to practice public health measures: wear masks, keep a safe distance, don't spend time in other units, wash hands.

But in a news release Thursday, a group of tenants said they reject" the patronizing assessment" that socializing spread coronavirus around their building.

Instead, they pointed to a lack of cleanliness in common areas and demanded landlord Medallion Corporation hire a team of cleaners to do this properly."

Moreover, one of two elevators has been out of commission in the highrise since January, another point of concern with lives depending on physical distancing.

A spokesperson for Medallion provided a brief statement via email late Thursday but didn't specify when the elevator might return to service.

We continue to support the efforts of public health officials to help control the current outbreak, while striving to meet the property management needs of our residents. And we will do both, in full compliance with recommended COVID-19 related protocols," Danny Roth wrote.

Property management will continue in its efforts to address any essential repairs (including the necessary replacement of the building's elevators), continue to ensure the good performance of all building systems, and meet the ongoing maintenance needs of our residents."

Arefin Chowdhury, who turns 34 Friday, says he started parental leave April 23, then started to feel sick April 30.

Having only made a few essential trips outside his home since taking a break from his job at an Oakville grocery store, he suspects he became ill at 235 Rebecca St.

And specifically, I'd say the elevator," said Arefin, who has lived in the building since 2017.

For months, the one lift has been crowded with tenants, who wait several minutes to reach apartments in the highrise, he said.

Sometimes, you have to get into the elevator when it's crowded," said Arefin, noting the vast majority of tenants wear masks.

The group of tenants, who have scheduled a news conference Friday outside 235 Rebecca St. to air their concerns, are also demanding the city send a mobile vaccination clinic to the building.

Arefin, meanwhile, says his mother is faring well. He, too, believes he's almost out of the woods.

I'm feeling better every day."

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com