Dear Resident/Family,
The health and safety of our personal care home residents, and the staff who care for them each and every day, is our top priority. Since the spring, we have implemented a number of precautions to protect your loved one.
Beginning March 1, 2021, our facility will begin voluntary asymptomatic surveillance testing of staff in addition to the many precautions and preventative measures we already have in place.
This initiative will use the Abbot Panbio COVID-19 rapid antigen test and will test staff that are showing no symptoms of COVID-19 and have no known exposure to the virus. Participation is voluntary but all eligible staff are encouraged to take part.
It is important to emphasize that in order to be eligible, staff must not have symptoms of COVID-19 or any known exposure to the virus. Staff with symptoms of, or a known exposure to, COVID-19 continue to be required to self-isolate and are not permitted to work until they have been cleared to return.
In the event of a positive test result, the involved staff member will be considered a “probable positive” and will be required to isolate until the results are confirmed by a laboratory test. Public Health contact tracing will begin immediately.
If the test is confirmed positive, the staff member will continue to follow the directions of public health and occupational health services until they are cleared to return to work.
We remain committed to providing your loved one with ongoing care and compassion and are excited to take part in this new initiative. The frequently asked questions document on staff asymptomatic testing can be accessed here or on our website.
Sincerely,
Tara-Lee Procter (Maciuszonek)