Beginning today, and lasting indefinitely, LacAlta Lodge and Points West Living in Lac La Biche have shut down visitation rights to ensure the safety of their residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even just a few days ago, people were able to visit their loved ones if they themselves didn’t feel sick, if they haven't travelled outside of Canada, or if they used hand sanitizer before entering the facility. On Sunday, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw, herself now in a 14-day self quarantine because of cold-like symptoms, called for the cancellation of all school classrooms, college classes and placed further restrictions on access to seniors' homes across the province.
As of Monday afternoon, there were 74 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus across Canada. More than 50 of the respiratory virus are in the Calgary area. Two are in the central provincial health zone, one is from the southern zone, one is from the northern zone, and 18 are in the Edmonton zone.
Individuals over 60 and people with chronic illnesses are the most at risk of serious complication or death if they contract COVID-19, say health officials.
Even though there are no confirmed cases in Lac La Biche currently — although one confirmed case was announced by provincial officals today that originated in the province's northern zone — LacAlta Lodge and Points West Living are not taking any chances.
“We have now put into place what we would for an outbreak,” says Iona Wolstenholme, the General Manager at Points West Living. “We don’t have any cases of course, but we are now closing the Lodge to visitors.”
Getting ready to act
Both West Point Living and the neighbouring LacAlta have been preparing for weeks as the virus outbreak spread around the world from its start in China. The Lac La Biche nursing homes have been stocking up on the essentials in case of a potential outbreak.
“We have been preparing for a number of weeks,” says Wolstenholme. “We are making sure we are on top of our inventory, and that we are not short on anything. So we’ve got to make sure that we have our gloves, gowns, surgical masks, sanitizers, CaviWipes. We want to make sure we have all of our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), so we can be ready.”
Staff at the seniors facilities realize the stress that visiting restrictions can put on their residents — but say they have to err on the side of caution.
For the safety of those who are at the greatest risk, Shirley Surgenor, the Chief Administrative Officer for the Greater North Foundation, asks for the community to respect the new restrictions.
“We are following the protocols set out by Alberta Health Services, we are doing the best we can and we ask for the community's support in this,” says Surgenor.
