Reports

As early as Friday, May 8 at 12:01 a.m., garden centres and nurseries will be able to open for in-store payment and purchases, operating under the same guidelines as grocery stores and pharmacies. Hardware stores and safety supply stores will be permitted to open for in-store payment and purchases as soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. On Monday, May 11 at 12:01 a.m., retail stores with a street entrance can begin offering curbside pickup and delivery, in accordance with the Ministry of Health's Guidance Document for Essential Workplaces and occupational health and safety requirements.

In addition to easing restrictions on retail, the government is also expanding essential construction to allow below-grade multi-unit residential construction projects like apartments and condominiums to begin and existing above-grade projects to continue. 

As soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2020:

• Golf courses will be able to open, with clubhouses open only for washrooms and restaurants open only for take-out.
• Marinas, boat clubs and public boat launches may open for recreational use.
• Private parks and campgrounds may open to enable preparation for the season and to allow access for trailers and recreational vehicles whose owners have a full season contract.
• Businesses that board animals, such as stables, may allow boarders to visit, care for or ride their animal.

Assuming trends in key public health indicators continue to improve, Ontario's first stage of reopening will begin on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. and will include:

• Retail services that are not in shopping malls and have separate street-front entrances with measures in place that can enable physical distancing, such as limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time and booking appointments beforehand or on the spot.

• Seasonal businesses and recreational activities for individual or single competitors, including training and sport competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization. This includes indoor and outdoor non-team sport competitions that can be played while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators, such as tennis, track and field and horse racing.

• Animal services, specifically pet care services, such as grooming and training, and regular veterinary appointments.

• Indoor and outdoor household services that can follow public health guidelines, such as housekeepers, cooks, cleaning and maintenance.

• Lifting essential workplace limits on construction.

Allowing certain health and medical services to resume, such as in-person counselling and scheduled surgeries based on the ability to meet pre-specified conditions as outlined in A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as resuming professional services such as shifting Children's Treatment Centres from virtual to in-person.

The province has launched a toll-free line 1-888-444-3659 to provide support to Ontario businesses who have questions about the province's recent emergency order to close at-risk workplaces following recommendations by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health.

BCHU will have staff out in the community ensuring that these orders are being followed.

The province has launched a toll-free line 1-888-444-3659 to provide support to Ontario businesses who have questions about the province's recent emergency order to close at-risk workplaces following recommendations by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health.

On March 23, the province issued an emergency order to close at-risk workplaces and encourage non-essential businesses to find ways to help their employees work from home. The government also reminded businesses to put in place protocols for physical distancing and regular hand-washing in order to protect the health and safety of employees and the general public.

The Province has released safety guidelines to protect workers, customers and the general public from COVID-19 as it prepares for gradual reopening of the provincial economy. These resources are available for different sectors. They are designed to help employers and workers better understand how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A complete list of essential services is available on the government of Canada'swebsite.

Businesses who have questions about closures of at-risk workplaces or how emergency measures impact their business or employment can call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.

On March 17, Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency across the province.

As a result of this declaration and its associated orders, the following establishments are legally required to close immediately:

• All facilities providing indoor recreational programs;
• All public libraries;
• All private schools and defined in the Education Act;
• All licensed child care centres;
• All bars and restaurants, except to the extent that such facilities provide takeout food and delivery;
• All theatres including those offering live performances of music, dance, and other art forms, as well as cinemas that show movies; and
• Concert venues.

On March 23, the province issued an emergency order to close at-risk workplaces and encourage non-essential businesses to find ways to help their employees work from home. The government also reminded businesses to put in place protocols for physical distancing and regular hand-washing in order to protect the health and safety of employees and the general public.

As early as Friday, May 8 at 12:01 a.m., garden centres and nurseries will be able to open for in-store payment and purchases, operating under the same guidelines as grocery stores and pharmacies. Hardware stores and safety supply stores will be permitted to open for in-store payment and purchases as soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. On Monday, May 11 at 12:01 a.m., retail stores with a street entrance can begin offering curbside pickup and delivery, in accordance with the Ministry of Health's Guidance Document for Essential Workplaces and occupational health and safety requirements.

In addition to easing restrictions on retail, the government is also expanding essential construction to allow below-grade multi-unit residential construction projects like apartments and condominiums to begin and existing above-grade projects to continue. 

The Brant Community Healthcare System is operating a COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Brantford General Hospital D-wing entrance. This clinic will determine whether you need more medical care and/or testing for COVID-19. 

BCHU does not do in-person assessment or testing but refers to the Assessment Centre at the Brant Community Healthcare System when those who have COVID symptoms are identified through our contact centre.

If you have been tested for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health has launched a new online portal for the public to easily access their COVID-19 lab test results.

If you do not have a valid Ontario Health Card or still have a red and white card, you will not be able to access this portal. BCHU is currently phoning lab results to people who have indicated that they cannot access their results online.

Follow the below steps to ensure you are taking appropriate precautions and not further spreading the virus.

Stay home

• Do not use public transportation, taxis, or rideshares
• Do not go to work, school, or other public places
• Your health care provider or public health unit will tell you when it is safe to leave

Limit the number of visitors in your home

• Only have visitors who you must see and keep the visits short
• Keep away from seniors and people with chronic medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, lung problems, immune deficiency)

Avoid contact with others

• Stay in a separate room away from other people in your home as much as possible and use a separate bathroom if you have one
• Make sure that shared rooms have good airflow (e.g. open windows)

Keep distance

• If  you are in a room with other people , keep a distance of at least two metres and wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
• If you cannot wear a mask, people should wear a mask when they are in the same room as you

Cover your coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hand
• Throw used tissues in a lined wastebasket, and wash your hands. Lining the wastebasket with a plastic bag makes disposal easier and safer
• After emptying the wastebasket, wash your hands

Wash your hands

• Wash your hands often, for at least 15 seconds, with soap and water
• Dry your hands with a paper towel, or with your own cloth towel that no one else shares
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap an dwater are not available

Wear a mask over your nose and mouth

• Wear a mask if you must leave your house to see a health care provider
• Wear a mask when you are within two metres of other people

Social distancing does not mean that you must stay in your home at all times. There are many ways that you and your children can stay physically active, even while maintaining the social distancing guidelines.  Some outside ideas include:

• Creating a backyard obstacle course
• Collecting nature items like twigs and pinecones, and using them to build something
• Going for a bike ride
• Chalking it up (chalk the sidewalk or driveway)
• Going for a walk and playing eye spy
• Using chalk to make fun games (like hopscotch!)
• Driving to a local trail and going on a hike

Staying indoors? Try some of these:

• Baking or cooking together
• Painting or drawing a picture
• Crafts – get creative!
• Listening to music or having a dance party to your favourite songs
• Building a puzzle
• Having a movie night
• Reading a book
• Writing in a journal or creating a story, maybe even a comic book!

Also, sticking to a schedule is helpful. Routines help provide a sense of stability and structure. Create a schedule that works for the whole family. Consider things such as:      

• Keeping consistent wake-up and sleep times
• Scheduling time for meals
• Scheduling time for schoolwork – Go to the Ministry of Education Learning portal to access math and literacy skills, and other learning resources
• Getting outside for breaks and exercise
• Ending the day's routine by 3:00 p.m. (or the same time as their regular end of day)
• Keeping an evening routine that you are used to

In order to decrease transmission of COVID-19, public health units across the province are now recommending that all residents practice physical distancing. Physical distancing involves taking steps to limit the number of people you come in close contact with. This will help to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

Physical distancing includes, but is not limited to:

• Talking to your supervisor, manager or employer about the possibility of working from home, when possible
• Avoiding sending children to daycare, if you are able to
• Avoiding visits to long-term care homes, retirement homes, supportive housing, hospices and other congregate care settings, unless the visit is absolutely essential
• Avoiding non-essential trips in the community
• If you have to go into the community for an essential trip via taxi or rideshare, be sure to keep the windows down
• Avoid all gatherings of people who are not in your immediate family/household
  
• Considering conducting meetings virtually instead of in person
• Whenever possible, spending time outside and in settings where people can maintain a 2 metre (6 foot) distance from those around you

Please note: that these guidelines are not meant to say "you must stay in your home!"

You can still go outside to get active or walk your dog. If you need groceries, go to the store. We simply recommend that while outside you make sure to avoid crowds and maintain a distance of 2 metres (6 feet) from those around you.

Remember: While you may not feel sick and while we know these measures are an inconvenience, please be mindful of the members of our community who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. We are all in this together.

If you or a loved one think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it: 


• Stay at home and avoid close contact with others.

• Contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
  

• The Brant Community Healthcare System has opened a COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Brantford General Hospital D-wing entrance. This clinic will determine whether you need more medical care and/or testing for COVID-19.The Assessment Centre will see individuals by appointment only. Please see the Brant Community Healthcare System website for more information.

• If you seek medical care, share your recent travel history with your healthcare provider. Call ahead to your healthcare provider, the emergency department or ambulance services to receive instructions for your arrival.

• Avoid using public transportation.
  

Avoid all gatherings of people who are not in your immediate family/household.

It is recommended that everyone stay at home as much as possible, only leaving for essential reasons, such as getting groceries or medications.

There have been limited reports of animals becoming infected with COVID-19. There is currently no evidence that pets or other domestic animals play a significant role in the spread of COVID-19.  

If you are sick, it is recommended that you avoid contact with pets and other animals,  just like you would other people, until more is known.

Learn more by accessing Public Health Ontario's fact sheet.

Just as we should always being practicing good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, people should always be prepared for any type of emergency. Make a plan. Build a kit. Stay informed.

If you are required to go into isolation it may be up to 14 days. It is crucial that individuals follow isolation recommendations properly to prevent transmission of COVID-19 to others in the home setting or in the community. It is recommended that all individuals in the community plan ahead by maintaining a supply of essential medications, home supplies and extra non-perishable food in the event they require voluntary quarantine or self-isolation.

The following programs are currently suspended until further notice:

• sexual health clinics
• TB testing clinics
• general immunization clinics
• tobacco cessation workshops
• vaccine catch-up clinics (suspension clinics)
• dental clinics and programs

Parents can speak with their family doctor about any vaccinations they would like their child to receive during the suspensions of these programs.

Coronaviruses make up a large family of viruses that circulate in both humans and other animals. Human coronaviruses are common and are usually associated with mild illness, similar to the common cold and can spread easily between people. There are some coronaviruses that have spread from animals to humans, which have caused more severe illness in humans, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The risk of developing severe disease from the 2019 novel coronavirus may be higher if you have a weakened immune system. This may be the case for:

• older people
• anyone with chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, heart, renal or chronic lung disease

On December 31, 2019, health authorities in China identified a new (or novel) coronavirus (referred to as 2019-nCoV), after several reported cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the new illness COVID-19, where COVI stands for coronavirus, D stands for disease and 19 represents 2019, the year it was first identified in people.

It is believed that COVID-19 originated in another animal. It is the seventh strain of coronavirus.

The Government of Canada has put in place an Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that applies to all travellers arriving in Canada in order to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Canada.

TRAVELLERS WITH SYMPTOMS - Mandatory Isolation

If you have recently returned to Canada and have symptoms, you must isolate. This is mandatory. If required, immediate medical attention will be provided upon arrival in Canada.

Mandatory isolation means you MUST:

• Go directly to the place where you will isolate, without delay, and stay there for 14 days
• Go to your place of isolation using private transportation only, such as your personal vehicle
• Stay inside your home
• Not leave your place of isolation unless it's to see medical attention
• Do not go to school, work, other public areas or use public transportation (e.g., buses, taxis)
• Stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom from others in your home, if possible
• Not have visitors and limit contact with others in the place of isolation , including children
• Not isolate in a place where you will have contact with vulnerable people such as older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions
• If your symptoms get worse, immediately contact your health care provider or public health authority and follow their instructions.

If you have symptoms but do not have a place to isolate, you will be required to isolate for 14 days in a facility designated by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.

Violating any instructions provided to you when you entered Canada could lead up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

TRAVELLERS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS - Mandatory Quarantine (mandatory self-isolation)

If you have recently returned to Canada and have no symptoms, you must quarantine (self-isolate) yourself. This is mandatory. You are at risk of developing symptoms and infecting others.

This means you MUST:

• Go directly to your place of quarantine, without delay, and stay there for 14 days
• Do not go to school, work, other public areas and community settings
• Monitor your health for symptoms of COVID-19
• Arrange to have someone pick up essentials like groceries or medication for you
• Do not have visitors
• Stay in a private place like your yard or balcony if you go outside for fresh air
• Keep a distance of at least two arms lengths (approximately two metres) from others

You can take public transportation to get to your place of self-isolation after you arrive in Canada, but you must not stop on the way home and practice physical (social) distancing at all times.

Violating any instructions provided to your when you entered Canada could lead up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

If you develop symptoms within 14 days:

• isolate yourself from others
• immediately call a health care professional or BCHU and:
• describe your symptoms and travel history
• follow instructions carefully
  

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Fever (temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater)
  
• New or worsening cough
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
  

Other symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Sore throat 
  
• Hoarse voice
  
• Difficulty swallowing
  
• New olfactory or taste disorder(s)
  
• Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain 
  
• Runny nose, sneezing or nasal congestion- in absence of underlying reason for these symptoms such as allergies, post nasal drip, etc.
  

Coronavirus infections are diagnosed based on laboratory testing. A specific test for COVID-19 has been developed to confirm an infection, if one is suspected. Testing is done by taking a swab from the back of the nose or throat. An assessment is done prior testing to determine if it is necessary based on symptoms and potential exposures. 

Coronaviruses can spread when the droplets due to cough or a sneeze from an infected person are breathed in deeply by anyone who is in close proximity to the infected person; similar to how influenza and other respiratory illnesses are spread.

The World Health Organization advises that symptoms may appear in as few as two days, or as long as 10 to 14 days, after being exposed to someone with COVID-19. This time period is subject to change and may be updated as new information becomes available

Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

There is no vaccine that protects against coronavirus.

The Brant Community Healthcare System is accepting donations of medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and physicians.

While the kindness and generosity of the community is appreciated, homemade masks cannot be accepted, as they do not comply with Public Health Ontario Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines.

Web resource:

• Ontario Ministry of Health - Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
• Ontario Ministry of Health - Information Sheet (available in multiple languages)

Other resources:

• Government of Ontario - List of Essential Workplaces
• Public Health Agency of Canada, 2019 Novel Coronavirus infection: Outbreak update
• Government of Canada - Novel Coronavirus in China
• U.S. Center for Disease Control - 2019 Novel Coronavirus
• World Health Organization - Coronavirus
• Public Health Ontario - Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (for Health Care Providers)
• Ontario Ministry of Health - Prevent Virus from Spreading (Self-isolation instructions)
• Canadian Mental Health Association- 10 Things you can do right now to reduce anxiety, stress, worry related to COVID-19
  
• World Health Organization - Coping with stress during the 2019-nCoV outbreak
• World Health Organization - Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19
  
• World Health Organization - Helping children cope with stress during the 2019-nCoV outbreak
• Brant Community Healthcare System - COVID-19 and Pregnancy
  
• Brantford Community Food Resources 
• Woodview Mental Health & Autism Services