Ban on care home staff working at multiple sites in progress, does not apply to doctors, pharmacists
Posted April 22, 2020 8:28 pm.
Last Updated April 22, 2020 8:32 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The province’s top doctor says work continues to safely carry out new orders banning staff from working at more than one long-term care home in B.C.
Dr. Bonnie Henry explained it will take more time to make sure everyone can safely comply with the rule.
“It’s taken some time to sort out all the combinations again that affect so many people, and its particularly a challenge to make sure that we have the appropriate nursing staff and care aides that are able to care for people in each facility.”
Henry said, while some employees –including doctors and pharmacists– are exempt, everyone must follow protocols to keep the virus from spreading.
“It’s not a blanket that everybody is at one and so it may be some people not recognizing who are the people who need to go between facilities –recognizing that they need to do it with all the precautions that we have put in place,” she said
The clarification on who the new order applied to came during the provincial update on COVID-19 Wednesday.
“There are some people who are not part of this. Doctors go-between facilities. They may have patients in different areas. Pharmacists who are in facilities, so there’s a group of people who are excluded from that,” Henry said.
Health Minister Adrian Dix added the province-wide health order involves thousands of people and a key problem has been making sure every care home has adequate staffing levels.
The province announced the change to care home staffing at the beginning of April. This came as many of those who have died from COVID-19 in B.C. have been linked to care homes.
