Dear PRI Staff,
We appreciate your commitment to remain vigilant for the safety of our community.
With the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in Ontario resulting from the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Wellington Dufferin Guelph (WDG) Public Health is sharing some enhanced protocols and guidance for congregate settings.
We appreciate your commitment to remain vigilant for the safety of our community.
With the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in Ontario resulting from the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Wellington Dufferin Guelph (WDG) Public Health is sharing some enhanced protocols and guidance for congregate settings.
High Risk Contacts (HRC’s)
The WDG Public Health guidance outlines how HRC’s will be determined both in home and congregate care settings. In the event of a positive case of COVID in our community, High Risk Contacts (HRC’s) will be considered:
∙ Any staff who have had interactions among each other or with residents for more than 15 minutes cumulatively, and NOT physically distanced (less than 2 metres apart) and without a mask AND eye protection. The residents and staff will be considered high risk contacts regardless of vaccination status.
High Risk Contact Instructions
The consequences of being determined an HRC result in the following:
∙ You must self-isolate for 10 days. “Self-isolation means you MUST NOT leave the house for any reason, including attending work*, school or childcare.”
∙ Self-isolation is required regardless of your vaccination status or if you have had COVID-19 before.
∙ You are required to get a PCR test on or after day 7 of your isolation period. Failure to do so may result in the isolation period being extended by another 10 days.
∙ There are additional implications for household members of anyone determined at High Risk Contact.
Please review the Self-Assessment Risk Tool and protocols for household members of high risk contacts links provided by WDG Public Health here:
WDGPH COVID-19 Self-Assessment Risk Tool
Case and High-risk Contact Letter
So, as you see, being declared a HRC will have personal consequences for you and create staffing issues for PRI. We ask that you review this carefully and do all you can to mitigate any risks to you and our community.
Effective immediately, we ask that all staff resume using visors for interactions that are more than 15 minutes cumulatively and NOT physically distanced, unless you have been provided with a medical exemption.
If you have a medical exemption regarding eye protection, we ask that you not be in any prolonged contact when less than 2 metres from other staff or students.
Eye protection will be available at the front entrance, or you can get it from the nursing office.