On November 20, 2020, the Ontario Government announced that Toronto and Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon) would move into the grey zone (lockdown) of the province's COVID-19 response framework. This framework puts each public health unit in the province into one of five levels, depending on certain indicators.
How does the recent lock down announcement in Toronto and Peel regions impact occupational therapists providing services?
Occupational therapists working in Toronto and Peel regions are reminded to continue to adhere to provincial Directive 2 and the accompanying COVID-19 Operational Requirements: Health Sector Restart for guiding principles when making decisions about service delivery. Directive 2 requires that health care providers continue to monitor COVID-19 spread in their community and regions to determine the most appropriate service delivery models (in-person, virtual or modified services).
Occupational therapists can continue to provide the necessary health services to clients while implementing all the safety and infection prevention and control measures outlined by the Government and Public Health Ontario, including screening, personal protective equipment (PPE), risk assessment, and offering virtual care where appropriate. Importantly, the level of comfort of the client with respect to having others enter the home needs to be carefully considered.
Occupational therapists are best-suited, using their professional judgment, to determine whether they should provide in-person or virtual service delivery on a case-by-case basis.
For more information about Ontario's revised COVID-19 response framework, visit our website.
We encourage OTs to continue to check the Ministry of Health's website for the latest updates on testing and revisions to guidance for the health care sector.
If you have any questions please contact our Practice team at 1-800-890-6570 ext. 240 or [email protected].