COVID-19 Updates – November 9, 2020
In this Update:
- How the New Provincial Health Order affects Spectrum’s services
- Provincial Health Officer Order for Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health Regions
- Kahkakiw’s Straight Talk on Covid-19
- CLBC Individuals and Families Update – bottom of this email
- Working together to Share Ideas on Respite (see CLBC update below)
- Next CLBC Teleconference for Individuals and Families next Tuesday, Nov 17th at 3pm
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Updated Provincial Health Officer Order – Nov 8, 2020
Below is the updated Provincial Health Officer Order for the Lower Mainland. For Spectrum staff, the people we support, and our services, the main implications are:
- Increased active screening when you come to work, or when people come into your home (for home-share providers).
- No social visits with people outside your household for two weeks – social activities have to be restricted to your household (and staff support) including when you meet outside or at a restaurant. Going for a walk with someone is NOT an outside social gathering and is permitted.
- Our services are essential services and staff can continue to provide supports while using all the safety procedures we have learned.
- The office is still available for computer use, quiet workspace, and small meetings, but please book your space in advance by calling Judy. Meetings that can be done virtually are preferred and in person meetings could be delayed for two weeks.
- For people who live alone, they can choose one or two people to be part of their “household” and socialize with only those one or two people for the next two weeks.
Dr. Bonnie Henry reminded us of the priorities for the Provincial Health Office and the reasons for these orders today:
- To protect our health care system. We need our hospitals to have the ability to respond to patients who show up at our hospitals with any of the typical serious illnesses and injuries, and to continue addressing the waitlist of surgeries. If Covid cases continue to rise, our hospitals will be overwhelmed.
- To protect our most vulnerable citizens. This is primarily the elderly, but also people with pre-existing conditions and compromised immune systems. When there is increased spread in community, older adults are more at risk.
- To mitigate the harms that come with these restrictions to people’s lives. We must continue to focus on healthy living, maintaining our social connections through phone calls and videos, and watching out for our friends and families who are at risk of being isolated.
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PHO order on limiting social interactions – Updated Nov 8, 2020
By order of the Provincial Health Officer, all individuals, places of work and businesses within the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions must significantly reduce social interactions and travel.
The order is in effect from November 7, 2020 at 10:00 pm to November 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm.
Social interactions
Socialize only with those in your immediate household. A household is:
- Your immediate family
- A group of people who live in the same dwelling. For example:
- If you have a rental suite in your home, the suite is a separate household
- If you live in an apartment or house with roommates, you are all members of the same household
- A co-parent who lives outside your household
People who live alone
People who live alone can socialize with one or two people at home, outside or at a restaurant. These one or two people become your immediate household.
Gatherings
No social gatherings of any size with anyone other than your immediate household. For example:
- Do not invite friends or extended family to your household
- Do not gather outdoors
- Do not gather at restaurants
Note: Going for a walk is not considered a social gathering. You must make sure a walk does not turn into a group of people meeting outside.
Funerals and weddings
Funerals and weddings may proceed with your immediate household only.
- Funeral or wedding receptions at any location are not allowed, including reception events held at community-based venues
- This includes events of fewer than 50 people
Group physical activities
Businesses, recreation centres or other organizations that organize or operate indoor group physical activities must suspend these activities. This includes:
- Spin classes
- Yoga
- Group fitness
- Dance classes
- Any other group indoor activity that increases the respiratory rate
Indoor sports where physical distancing cannot be maintained are suspended. This includes activities like:
- Boxing
- Martial arts
- Hockey
- Volleyball
- Basketball
These activities can be replaced with individual exercise or practice that allows everyone to maintains a safe physical distance.
Indoor group physical activities can only resume when the business has updated their COVID-19 safety plan and received plan approval from their local Medical Health Officer.
Workplace safety
All businesses and worksites must conduct active daily in-person screening of all onsite workers using the COVID-19 symptom check list that is part of every business restart safety plan.
- Workplaces must ensure that all workers and customers maintain appropriate physical distance and wear masks when appropriate
- Extra care should be taken in small office spaces, break rooms and kitchens
Party-buses and limousines
Party-buses and group limousines must stop operations immediately. Resuming operations is at the discretion of the PHO and may extend beyond November 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm.
Travel
From November 7, 2020 at 10:00 pm to November 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm travel into and out of the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley should be limited to essential travel only.
Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley restrictions, Dr. Henry, PHO
Is my community included?
The order applies to the following communities within the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions:
- Abbotsford
- Agassiz
- Burnaby
- Chilliwack
- Coquitlam
- Delta
- Howe Sound
- Langley
- Lions Bay
- Maple Ridge
- Mission
- New Westminster
- North Vancouver
- Pemberton
- Pitt Meadows
- Port Coquitlam
- Port Moody
- Powell River
- Richmond
- Sunshine Coast Regional District
- Surrey
- Squamish
- Vancouver
- West Vancouver
- Whistler
- White Rock
Exempt communities
The following communities are not included in the order:
- Central Coast Regional District
- Bella Coola Valley
- Hope
Enforcement
During a public health emergency under the Public Health Act, the PHO can make orders as needed. You must follow the orders.
Orders can be enforced by police or other compliance and enforcement officials. People who don’t follow the order could be fined.
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Kahkakiw’s Straight Talk on Covid-19
This research project is shaped by 11 Indigenous partner organizations and aims to develop innovative and culturally appropriate countermeasures to COVID-19 and other pandemics to better serve Indigenous communities now and into the future.
There are some great videos on topics such as “COVID-19 and elders”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6F9dfQpyPY&feature=emb_logo
Full website here: https://covid19indigenous.ca
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COVID-19 Updates – November 6, 2020 – Getting a Flu Shot
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia:
“Today, we are reporting 425 new cases, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 16,560 cases in British Columbia.
“There are 3,389 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 7,519 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 12,806 people who tested positive have recovered.
“Currently, 97 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, 24 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.
“We need everyone to help slow the spread of the virus by staying local, only spending time with our household or at most, our safe six and by following the safety basics – at work, at school and at home.
“The foundational layers of protection and provincewide orders in place throughout B.C. are our steady guideposts to help chart our path forward.
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Getting a Flu Shot
Now more than ever, getting a flu shot is an important step to protect yourself and those around you. A flu shot can reduce your chance of developing symptoms that resemble COVID-19 which would require you to get tested and self-isolate. This can increase wait times at testing centres as well as test results and can delay the identification of COVID-19 cases.
Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and others against influenza, especially when used with other infection prevention practices such as proper hand hygiene and staying home from work or school when sick, even with mild symptoms.
Where you can get a flu shot
VCH Public Health clinics
Your family doctor
Walk-in clinics
Your pharmacist
Urgent & primary care centres
Find a location
- Appointments are strongly recommended this year to help us maintain physical distancing and to reduce wait times.
More information on flu shots at Vancouver Coastal Health (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Sunshine Coast)
More information on flu shots at Fraser Health (Burnaby, New West, Delta, Surrey, Coquitlam, Fraser Valley)
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Staying Connected with Virtual Bingo
Ruth, Chantel and their teams have been planning a virtual Bingo event to help all the individuals we support stay connected and have some fun during this time!
If anyone you support would like to participate please let Ruth and me know and we will make sure you get the playing cards and stampers that are needed to participate. We will be sending out a Zoom invitation with the dates and details shortly. We are trying to collect information to see how many people are interested to make sure we have enough supplies! We are hoping with enough interest this can be an ongoing event!
Contact us: ruth.villarma@spectrumsociety.org or chantel.foden@spectrumsociety.org
Thank you Chantel and Ruth for helping people stay connected!
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Hi Folks; It’s PURDY’S time again, please take a few minutes to page through the catalogue. The order deadline will be November 25, Delivery to me is December 4 and we can work out getting your product to you. Please feel free to share this information with friends and family… Cheers and happy chocolates..
This message is to invite you to join Barbara Fast to purchase Purdys chocolates and save 25% this Christmas season.
To do so, please click the link below. https://group.purdys.com/1028290-78760
Once logged in, you will be directed to the Christmas homepage.
From there, you are able to:
- Shop online
- Invite other members
Have a sweet shopping experience!
https://www.purdys.com/catalogues
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It is a great time to review the contents of emergency medical and earthquake kits in your home.
Are your water and food rations currently dated? Other items like glow sticks and batteries have expiry dates. It’s a good time to make sure everything is up to date.
Did you use some of the medical supplies during the year? Now is a great time to order replacement items.
Have there been changes in the number of people residing in your home? Do you need more or less supplies?
Have any of the people you live with changed their diets over the past year? Do you need to change the dietary foods in their earthquake kits?
If you need help with restocking your emergency medical and earthquake supplies please feel free to contact Judy Smith at judy@spectrumsociety.org for assistance.
It is a good time to review all safety procedures in the home; making sure that exit routes are clear of debris, including accessing risk factors (for example, moving items on shelves that could fall and moving heavy items to bottom shelves instead of top shelves). Are all staff are familiar with where emergency care items are stored? Please review the following information from our policy manual with the staff and individuals you support. Include staff to join on skype or zoom if you cannot meet in person so everyone is familiar with this process.
(https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/General%20Policies/34.0.EmergencyPreparedness.pdf)
When you have completed your Earthquake Drill please record this information on Sharevision.
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How to Register for Emergency First Aid Community Care:
Call St. John Ambulance: (604) 321-7242
- They above number is their main line, but they have a number of locations across the lower mainland if you would like to call a location directly: http://www.sja.ca/English/About-Us/Pages/Locations.aspx
- Register yourself for Emergency First Aid Community Care.
If you did not have your first aid certificate upon hire, you are responsible for the initial cost, which is currently $102.00, and Spectrum covers renewal fees.
- If you are renewing your first aid, ask St. John Ambulance to invoice Spectrum Society
- Let them know Spectrum Society will be paying for your course fee.
*St. John Ambulance may request authorization from Spectrum. Email hr@spectrumsociety.org with the date/location you want to complete the course and we will call them to confirm your registration.
First Aid is a requirement for employment as indicated in ‘Policy 4: Requirements for Employment.’
If requirements for employment are not met within a timely manner, shifts will be suspended without pay until this requirement is met. Below is a link to Spectrum’s First Aid policy:
Please respond back with your course date. Prior to attending the class please arrange a time to come to the office to receive your free face mask.
Pocket masks will need to be purchased directly from St. John’s Ambulance.
Keep your receipt and bring it to the office along with your certificate of course completion to be reimbursed and to have your file updated.
Please let Judy know if you have any questions or issues registering, by emailing her at judy@spectrumsociety.org