Healthcare workers on Vancouver Island say exemptions for travelling employees pose a risk to patients in hospitals.
One worker from a hospital in the central-North Island region, who asked Black Press to conceal their identity because they feared losing their job, has been forced to take unpaid leave in order to self-isolate after an international trip.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 my legal responsibility to keep my staff safe,B次元官网网址� they said. Their family had been travelling in the United States and returned to Vancouver Island on March 12.
When they first returned they were told by management that self-isolation was the rule. Then the next day, the rule changed, and they were told they must report to work.
On March 15 Island Health updated their Pandemic Response Plan with a B次元官网网址渄ifferent directionB次元官网网址� for health authority employees coming back to work than any other industry.
B次元官网网址淚n pandemic times, we enact a call to action for Healthcare workers to help the rest of our citizens make their way through the pandemic,B次元官网网址� an information sheet distributed by Island Health notes. B次元官网网址淲e play a critical role in caring for the rest of our population. Therefore, the benefit of having our teams at work is greater than the risk of keeping us at home.B次元官网网址�
Only a doctor or someone else similarly qualified can direct staff to self-isolate, according to Island Health.
(See entire document at the end of this article.)
This double standard doesnB次元官网网址檛 sit well with healthcare workers, some who say they are being penalized for choosing to self-isolate after travelling.
B次元官网网址淚 said (to my manager) IB次元官网网址檓 not really feeling good about going back to work. IB次元官网网址檝e been on three different planes in 24 hours,B次元官网网址� they said. B次元官网网址淭his is worrisome for me to come back to work and potentially infect people. I want to flatten this curve too.B次元官网网址�
They have been forced to use sick time and banked overtime for part of self-isolation, and will not be paid once that runs out. They are going to fulfill their 14-day self-isolation anyway.
Another health care worker who also didnB次元官网网址檛 want to be identified over fear they would lose their job is concerned over the exemption.
B次元官网网址淚f theyB次元官网网址檝e been travelling this is only putting our most vulnerable at risk; you have to be in contact with them,B次元官网网址� they said. B次元官网网址淭his policy needs to be reviewed.B次元官网网址�
A registered nurse (RN) who lives and works in a North Island hospital said they returned from an international trip on March 12 and was initially told to self-isolate. The next day, Island Health contacted the RN and said they were exempt from self-isolating because they are a healthcare worker.
B次元官网网址淚 questioned this, but was not given any alternative,B次元官网网址� they said. B次元官网网址淲e are over-staffed at this time due to elective surgery cancellations, so my absence from work would not have had any effect on patient care. In light of the severity of the COVID-19 crisis, I am having a difficult time understanding the risk involved for my co-workers and patients by having me on the work floor if we are not in a critical staffing situation.B次元官网网址�
The only healthcare workers required to self-isolate for 14 days are those returning from Hubei Province in China, Iran or Italy. Anyone travelling anywhere else is asked to wear a mask, limit outside contacts and practice social distancing.
When asked on March 19 about the different standards for self-isolation, B.C. Medical Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said self-isolation can create a challenge for staffing of essential services, including nurses and doctors, paramedics, police and fire services.
If a healthcare worker has a B次元官网网址渃ritical functionB次元官网网址� in providing frontline care there is a possibility that leadership in that workplace can allow that person to work by making small changes to their tasks. Henry said some of those alterations include B次元官网网址渨earing a mask, separating from other healthcare workers and doing self-checks on a regular basis.
B次元官网网址淚t is not just a blanket exemption, it is very controlled, and it is only when it is going to compromise health care,B次元官网网址� she said.
There are at least 55 healthcare workers in British Columbia that have tested positive for COVID-19 as of March 26.
Joe McQuaid, executive director of the Alberni-Clayoquot Continuing Care Society, which looks after Echo Village and Fir Park Village, has taken the rapidly changing rules in stride. He returned from a holiday in Mexico on March 6, before the federal government started recommending self-isolation for travellers who return from international destinations.
B次元官网网址淚 was symptom free,B次元官网网址� he said. He went back to work at Fir Park and Echo Village seniors facilities in Port Alberni.
Notification from the health ministry came six days after his return that travellers had to self-isolate, except for healthcare workers.
B次元官网网址淭here are now two standards: one for health care workersB次元官网网址f they werenB次元官网网址檛 showing symptoms they are to return to work,B次元官网网址� McQuaid said.
The federal government has since invoked the Quarantine Act which makes self-isolation mandatory for people returning from international destinations, which includes the United States and Mexico.
B次元官网网址淭hat shows how quickly evolving this story is,B次元官网网址� McQuaid said.
B次元官网网址� With files from Ashley Wadhwani, Black Press
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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