They may be out of the woods for now, but they aren’t taking any chances, either.
An outbreak declared at IOOF Seniors Homes (Odd Fellow and Rebekah Home) in Barrie on April 21 has now been declared over by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
“We are excited that this has happened, but I can tell you we’re not taking any victory laps,” IOOF chief executive officer Garry Hopkins said. “We need to continue doing what we’re doing and not let our guards down.
“We’re continuing to be vigilant in our fight against COVID-19. The pandemic continues to be a serious threat," he added.
The local health unit declared the outbreak after confirming one case of COVID-19 in a staff member at IOOF facility, which is located on Brooks Street in the Allandale area.
No other cases were confirmed, and the health unit said it helped facilitate testing of all staff and residents at the facility.
Since COVID-19 started, Hopkins says the home implemented the working-in-one-place protocol about a month before it was suggested by the province to calm the spread of the virus. The home continues to do daily screenings of all residents and staff with all staff wearing PPE, including face shields if it makes them feel more comfortable. They also plan to do further COVID-19 testing should anyone at the home show any symptoms of illness that are out of the ordinary.
The IOOF also facilitates regular training and information sessions for staff in their auditoriums while practising social distancing to ensure the staff are all up-to date on any new policies, procedures and regulations.
Hopkins says transparency to families and staff is also important.
“There are many things we do that I believe have helped us. I can’t express enough the commitment of the staff here. They come to work bravely everyday to care for our residents,” he said. “They’re working tirelessly with unparalleled commitment.
“I think they embody our home’s mission statement, which is ‘caring is our reason for being'."
