The top doctor in this province believes it’s only a matter of time before COVID-19 lands on our shores.

There are no confirmed cases in the province but 44 people have been tested, 22 of whom were negative. Results of the remaining 22 are pending but initial testing came back negative.

Eight employees of the Department of Natural Resources who went to a mining conference in Toronto in early March are in self-isolation as a precautionary measure.

A person from Ontario at the conference has since tested positive for COVID-19 and some of those from Newfoundland who attended are symptomatic.

The Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, says that could be symptoms of a cold or flu.

She says talks are underway with the regional health authorities about establishing testing centres for the new Coronavirus. Getting swabbed for it now can be a tangly process.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady says the 8 self-quarantined department employees will be working from home for the next two weeks.

Coady says they packed up and equipped themselves to be able to work from home.

She says most took home their laptops and other instruments so they can work from home.

Coady says it’s an abundance of caution but it’s important to be cautious with these matters.