If I was in charge?........
I would mandate masks inside businesses
i would mandate a maximum number of people inside a store based on square footage
i would encourage everyone to keep their distance
i would allow stores, schools, businesses to be open with above restrictions
I would allow restaurants to open with spacing, masks, hand washing ........
I would encourage everyone to spend time outdoors where possible
i would encourage people who are able to work from home
i would hire as many nurses as possible to staff long term care homes
i would ensure that those homes have more PPE than anyone thinks they need
i would mandate that visitors are allowed under the same restrictions as everyone else
i would ensure that homes have one patient per room, that staff have no more than ten patients, that meals are nutritious. Cost be dammed!
I would ensure that families, schools, offices and anyone else who wants one has access to rapid testing
i would hire ten times more people to contact trace and that those contacts of positive people isolate
i would test everyone who wants a test and turn those results around in 12 hours, costs be dammed
i would test every passenger arriving by air at the airport, rapid test before they leave
i would ensure that taxis and limos have plexiglass barriers
i would ensure that the transit operates with space, doubling the number of buses if necessary, masks of course
i would do everything to protect the elderly
i would get children in school, protected with distance
what else?
I would mandate nursing homes have only 30 residents medications on each med cart. Many have 40 to 60 residents meds on their cart. This would free up the registered staff to be on the floor helping sooner after dressings and treatments are also done.(this isnt even counting the paperwork)
I would mandate entire homes are divided into groups of 30 residents and two registered staff for each group along with 4 psws for day and afternoon shifts.
I would mandate the Director of care or other registered nurse be called immediately to handle falls (falls procedures are particularly time consuming with paper work and monitoring)or any other emergency, as it stands now there is usually only one nurse on each floor starting medications at 7:30, 11:30, 16:30 and 17:30 hrs and is often called away from the med carts and medications can be delayed.
I would mandate that psws Not be allowed to give medications in retirement homes as they are now, without sufficient training.....stressing the word sufficient. This also takes one Psw off the floor that could be helping with care....and holds the registered nurses licence accountable for any of their errors.
Masks and gloves are thrown into garbage when leaving each room and hands washed.
"Covid" laundry is bagged separately in orange bags and washed separately....hopefully already being done.
Goggles supplied along with masks in care homes.
I would mandate that PSWs be registered so they have a governing body to answer to. Right now they could be fired for abuse or neglect and just apply elsewhere with no record following them.
Designate one family member to come into facilities and help with feeding family member in their own rooms ( they would not be allowed to "roam")and for visits and they must take Covid tests weekly also. Masked and gowned.
In level orange and red ( Ontario)shut down the big box stores except for the food section....all the rest is online.
Small businesses stay open with masking and limited customers per square footage that social distance. 3 max at a time.
Mandatory weekly Covid testing for all factories especially food processors with over 50 employees.
Huge fines for any care facilities that fail to provide enough PPE for staff and volunteers and a national standard set for what that standard is!