Preventative measures brought on by COVID-19, similar to the ones seen in March and April, are being implemented at Erie Shores Healthcare (ESHC) in Leamington.
Interim CEO and Chief of Staff Dr. Ross Moncur spoke about the increase of COVID-19 cases at ESHC during a video posted to Facebook and Twitter on Sunday. In the video, he went over the three steps the hospital is taking, effective immediately.
"Over the past week, ESHC has seen a significant rise in the number of COVID cases in the Assessment Centre and in our Emergency Department. Many of these people have required admission to hospital and in fact, many of them have been quite sick," said Moncur. "As a result, the hospital is taking three proactive steps in order to limit [the] risk to patients and our staff, and indeed limit the risk of a full COVID comeback in our community."
As announced on Saturday, the ESHC has reverted back to a Phase 1 visitor policy.
Moncur said effective Sunday, all non-essential hospital staff will go back to working from home. The third measure announced involves strict PPE usage and active screening for hospital staff.
"In some ways, we're going back to some of the precautions that we had in place at the beginning of the pandemic in March and April," he said. "Mostly because we believe the risk now may be as high as it was back then."
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported 38 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.
Should the number of COVID-19 cases spike again in the community, Moncur said it may affect the scheduling of elective surgeries and procedures.
"We'll be sure to communicate that to you as soon as possible, especially if it means deferring any surgeries or procedures," said Moncur.
Moncur ended the video by thanking fellow hospital workers and community members for their part in addressing COVID-19.
"I know it's hard, especially after these long months... but please keep wearing your masks, keep washing your hands, keep keeping your distance," he said.