Schreiner statement on long-term care homes and COVID-19

March 30, 2020

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner issued the following statement about protecting seniors in long-term care facilities:

GUELPH, ON — Mike Schreiner issued the following statement about protecting seniors in long-term care facilities:

“My heart goes out to all of the residents at the Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, and the loved ones of those who have died.

Long-term care facilities face some of the highest risks of the rapid spread of COVID-19 amongst Ontario’s most vulnerable population.

The most important thing to keep residents and health care staff safe is a firewall so that COVID-19 cannot enter in the first place.

This means enhanced screening measures, prioritized testing, and the urgent delivery of personal protective equipment to these facilities.

Once cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, every effort should be taken to care for infected patients separately to prevent the spread across the entire facility.

We must take every possible lesson from other jurisdictions with the most severe outbreaks at long-term care homes.”

-30-