Plumber's self-imposed quarantine nears end

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Carol Sanders

Posted: 11/8/2014 1:00 AM | Comments:

On Friday, Winnipeg plumber Garth Tohms tweeted, "in two days, my arms will be sore from hugging so much."

That's when his self-imposed 21-day quarantine ends after returning from a Red Cross Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.

"I'm being extra-cautious," said Tohms, who was in charge of setting up the plumbing, electrical and security systems at the Red Cross centre in Kenema. "If I were to hug my kids and then get the flu in the next two days, then anybody I was in contact with would be put in isolation." By avoiding contact with his loved ones, he's avoiding a potential hassle for them, said Tohms.

And he's being extra careful because he was as close to the deadly virus as one could get.

"I handled patients and bodies and stuff," said Tohms, whose No. 1 priority was to make sure they had a continuous supply of chlorinated water to disinfect people and objects that come into contact with infected patients.

Since he arrived home, he's taken his temperature twice a day and being checked daily by the Red Cross and weekly by a Winnipeg public-health worker to make sure he has no fever.

In Sierra Leone, Tohms worked 12- to 14-hour days wearing personal-protection suits in the heat and dealt with death and disease daily. The mission takes a toll, said Tohms, who is helped by sharing his experience.

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Plumber's self-imposed quarantine nears end