A new Public Health Order was issued on April 10 with more measures to prevent, and limit the spread of COVID-19 in continuing care facilities.
There are two parts to the Order:
Part 1 - Restricts staff movement among health care facilities
and applies to
designated supportive living facilities.
Among other amendments, major amendments include:
- Restricted staff movement: Effective April 23, 2020, staff will only be permitted to work in one healthcare facility. Staff are required to report all their working environment/employers to their supervisors by April 15. The implementation period for this amendment is April 16 to April 23.
- Continuous mask-wearing: all staff providing direct resident care or working in resident care areas must wear a surgical/procedure mask continuously, at all times and in all areas of the workplace if they are either involved in direct resident contact, or cannot maintain adequate physical distancing (2 meters) from residents and co-workers.
Given that the majority of PDD group homes are non-designated, they are not mandated to comply with Part 1 of the Order related to restriction of movement, except when there is a suspected, probable, or confirmed outbreak (see information about Part 2 of the Order, below). However, the Order strongly recommends that all congregated living settings (e.g. non-designated licensed supportive living, lodges, group homes, etc.), though not mandated, also implement the directive to restrict staff to one facility even before there is a suspected, probable or confirmed outbreak.
Part 2 - Updated operational standards and outbreak standards:
applies to all continuing care facilities, including (non-designated) licensed support living accommodation under the Supportive Living Accommodation Licensing Act (SLALA
).
Part 2 applies to the majority of PDD licensed group homes.
As of April 10, 2020, operators are required to adhere to the operational standards attached as
Appendix A
to the Order; and the outbreak standards attached as
Appendix B
to the Order.
Among other amendments, the two major amendments in Part 2 include:
- Continuous mask-wearing: effective April 10, as with designated licensed facilities, all non-designated licensed support facility staff providing direct resident care or working in resident care areas must wear a surgical/procedure masks continuously, at all times and in all areas of the workplace if they are either involved in direct resident contact, or cannot maintain adequate physical distancing (2 meters) from residents and co-workers.
