05/10/2020
As most of you have probably already heard, BC is gearing up to enter Phase II of its reopening strategy starting May 19th and healthcare professionals like RMTs, physios, ATs, and acupuncturists are all part of this next phase. So, this means the clinic will be reopening after the long weekend, right?? Not necessarily, here’s why:
•Our regulatory colleges have submitted reopening plans to the province, which are still in the process of getting approved. In other words, we still don’t know exactly what BC is going to require us to have in place in order to safely reopen.
•Availability of potentially required PPE -depending on what our reopening protocols look like, we might or might not be able to acquire all of the necessary PPE by next weekend. For instance, some provinces are requiring their therapists to have disposable gowns, gloves, goggles and masks, while others are not, and so, at this point, all we can really do is anticipate what we might need and wait and see.
•Just because businesses can start to reopen, does not mean that it’s completely safe for ALL businesses listed to do so right away. These are general guidelines and a phasing in of more interaction. As healthcare professionals that will be making physical contact with our clients during treatment, we can try our best to minimize risk of potential spread but a small risk will always be present as social distancing cannot be maintained. Ultimately, we want to keep you and your family, as well as our own families, as safe as possible during this time, which brings us to our last point...
•Every therapist at Cascadia will be making their own decision as to when they feel comfortable returning to work.
And so, we would like to thank you for your patience and understanding. A lot can change from week to week and the reality is, we just don’t know our reopening protocols yet and, until we do, we won’t be able to offer any firm dates on reopening. We know everyone is anxious to get back to a more normal routine, but we must put everyone’s health, safety and comfort levels first, which might look different for each practitioner, and that’s okay 💙
